Three Strings of a Shamisen
by SilverFang88
Summary: The Shamisen, an instrument that can create fine music with all but three strings and a Bachi. Love can work in the same way as a Shamisen sometimes; for it only takes a few common traits to create something beautiful between two people. All that remains now is for someone to strum on the strings... (Naruto/Yugito)
1. Chapter 1

News flash people: SF88's here with another Naru/Yugi One-shot, which might develop into a multi-shot. Now, before anything else can be said, I want to address a few things that you readers should be aware of. This is loosely AU, one of the differences being the fact that Yugito is not twenty-nine years old. She's younger I'd say maybe around the same age as Temari; which I think is reasonable if I do say-so myself. If you disagree, well sorry but that's what I'm going with. With the knowledge of this being an AU, you'll see that certain things haven't happened yet and all that jazz. I'll leave it to your imagination when it concerns the timeline in cannon; but for a heads up Pein didn't attack Konoha so I'll leave you, the readers, to think of a timeframe if you absolutely need to have one.

So, with all things being said, on to the story!

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**I don't own Naruto: If I did, Yugito would still be alive and fornicating with Naruto by now...**

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Evening hours are generally depicted in two different manners dependant on the individual in question. To some people, evenings were quiet and relatively uneventful; passing the time until slumber truly claims them by means such as watching television or reading some literature. To others, the evenings were when they were most lively; bar hopping with associates and friends or through certain _other _means of entertainment that inevitably consumed large portions of time. To the youth, the latter was a more common practice that was taken as 'staying at home' was much less appealing thing to do. Older individuals, though occasionally taking part in those activities themselves, found the idea of the staying at home a much more alluring than wasting funds and time on such trivial events.

When it concerned one Uzumaki Naruto, despite popular belief, he tended to spend his nights at home during the evenings. To be fair, it wasn't the fact that he didn't wish to join his peers and enjoy himself into the wee hours of the morning. Far from it actually, as he would love nothing better than to join them in those events and share some memories of his youth with them. The fact remained though that Naruto wasn't always fortunate when it concerned funds or time like some of his friends were. Being a Genin while the rest of his peers were Chuunin or higher made the process of gaining funds much more tedious than he would have liked; even if his skills did rival and even surpass his said peers who were of higher rank than he was.

It sucked, as he often complained it did, but it was just how things worked and there was little he could do to change it until the next Chuunin Exams came around.

But that wasn't the only reason he didn't go out at night. There was another reason that surpassed his lack of funds or time that made him stay at home. Fact was, it was the only real reason that he never complained about staying at home in the first place; and that reason was in the form of a person named Nii Yugito.

Said woman in question was sitting in his living-room, her body coiled up between the cushion and arm of the couch, her shamisen resting in her lap while she half-heartedly strummed on the cords. Not even a room away stood Naruto, his arms folded on top of the counter-top as his eyes stared impatiently at the stove which had his still cooking ramen to be ready. Neither party was in their standard attire; Yugito dressed in a simple white shirt and loose pale purple sweat-pants while Naruto was merely garbed in a black shirt and green shorts. To these two, this was a rather nightly event that played out just the same as the night prior. Some would call it monotonous and, both parties themselves would be inclined to agree that it indeed was; given someone would need to explain what monotonous meant to Naruto. That still didn't mean that they cared at all, it was just how their nights tended to go since Yugito's arrival here.

You see, with Akatsuki having made such a bold action as attacking and kidnapping the Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, other villages who bore a Jinchuuriki or two took matters into their own hands in regards to protecting them; less Akatsuki attempt to capture yet another in an equally bold manner as before. While Kumogakure was no slouch, extra precautions were done for the sake of ensuring that neither of their Jinchuuriki were captured during these troubled times. It was for that reason that Yugito had been paired up with Kumo's other resident Jinchuuriki; Kirabi. With their position being a close-guarded secret, both individuals had been safe from discovery for a substantial amount of time. Course, even a closely guarded secret was bound to be uncovered eventually; both Jinchuuriki and the Kage himself knew this much. So, with that being said, the Raikage imposed on an idea which would both secure the safety of his weapons along with his village. His solution is what ultimately lead to Yugito being where she sits today; in Naruto's, at first, unwilling, care.

The specifics behind how the woman had been put into Naruto's care were largely unknown to the young man. Politics wasn't really his strongest suit and Tsunade felt it was easier to just go with the short, sweet, and simple way of explaining things to him; by telling him to shut up and deal with it.

Course, that had been almost three months ago and in that time four Akatsuki members were now dead; one of which was largely due to Naruto's own actions. Yet, even with the demise of several members, Akatsuki was still a large threat to them all, though their consequential lack of attaining any of the other Jinchuuriki since Gaara simply proved how serious the villages were taking the Akatsuki threat. The fact remained though that, throughout this entire time, Naruto was the caretaker of his fellow Jinchuuriki and, personally, he didn't mind it as much as he had before.

Hell, he had come to accept the woman as one of his friends. Course; having met her, he had also come to known of Kirabi as well. The difference between the two was that, unlike with Yugito, Naruto and Kirabi were rather fast-friends and had bonded pretty quickly. When questioned as to how people who should be considered enemies could bond so well; the answer would quickly become common knowledge upon seeing the two together in one place.

Sakura's own words basically summarized the two's quick friendship:

"It's because they're both idiots who annoy the hell out of everyone."

Course, another close bond that was shared was between Gai and Bi, something which surprised a number of people. Course, when you put into consideration the reason behind Naruto and Bi's quick bonding, it can just as easily be said that it would be a similar case with those two. Gai was a man of great patience, yet could annoy even the unflappable Hatake Kakashi to no end at times. It just went without saying that with Kirabi's terrible 'rapping' skills and Gai's willingness to expand his challenges to his 'hip rival' it could be easy to deduce the result of that concoction.

Naruto thought the rapping duo was awesome; he just couldn't see why everyone else despised it so much.

With Yugito, however, the task of becoming her friend was one that took significantly longer than it had been with Bi. The woman was, as he put it, pretty stuck-up. Course that was generally how she was raised and not something that could be helped. Being a highly respected Jounin of Kumogakure along with being a Jinchuuriki of the Nibi entitled her to a lot of well deserved respect. When she was 'given' to Naruto as her charge, her first statement had been a rather distasteful regarding being put into the care of a mere Genin; Jinchuuriki or not. This was what created the distain between the two in the first place, which lasted a good portion of the first month of her stay in Naruto's care. She didn't like it, but she could accept things as they were despite her objections. Naruto, however, made his displeasure of her presence pretty clear to all those who bore witness to their interactions together; having found her remarks regarding his capabilities and treating him as inferior to her quiet an annoyance.

But, with time, Naruto had come to let that go and simply make do with what he could. He didn't know why, but something about Yugito had changed during the final course of her first month's stay in the village. What had happened; he had absolutely no idea. All he knew was that she suddenly grew interested in some of the things he did in his spare time aside from training. Like the gardening that he personally enjoyed doing, having caught her once observing the potted plants he kept near the window-frame by his bed. But it wasn't just potted plants that she grew interested in; as she soon started asking questions that he personally didn't expect her to ask.

It had started as just random tidbits of conversation created out of boredom that was shared between the two. From simple questions such as past missions to more compelling questions such as love interests; course these questions did have a threshold that wasn't crossed when it became too personal. Neither realized it at the time, but those bouts of question and answers tended to last for pretty long durations of time; sometimes going into the early mornings with just idle conversation. With each night that passed new questions came up, more time just spent talking to one another, which ultimately lead to more than just talking at home. Within the beginning of her second month's stay in Konoha, Naruto and Yugito were seen in each other's company, talking away with whatever thought came to mind; be it food or hobbies. Soon after, it escalated into training; which ultimately allowed Yugito to see firsthand that Naruto was indeed not as she originally pegged him as.

Eventually, with the bond between them steadily growing much better, Naruto formally introduced her to the rest of his friends. While she had no real intention upon her arrival here to make acquaintances, she soon found herself being compelled into doing so despite herself. While it was to be expected that she would get along well with the Jounin's, with the only real exception here being Gai, she did generally find herself comfortable in the presence of the other's as well. While she was indeed comfortable in their presence, that did not mean that all of them were comfortable in her's; something which she could understand with all things considering. The rather stained history between Kumo and Konoha was not something to be ignorant about when you consider the fact that two Hyuuga were among the list of people Naruto considered friends. They had done their best to hide it, but the discomfort was still present; along with a commendable amount of restraint in regards to anger. With those factors now known, Yugito had taken to declining any invitation that had been given to her in regards to getting to know the entire group. Being uninterested wasn't the entire reason that she did not participate, nor was the discomfort that was shared by two Hyuuga the reason either. The thing that really turned her off from the idea was the fact that Naruto was not partaking in the events himself; nor was he ever invited to join them in the first place. Of course, she wasn't aware of the fact that they had, on numerous occasions, tried to do so only for it to end with Naruto's decline to join. They just gave up after so many attempts, though sometimes still taking a shot at getting him to participate, but Naruto himself had his reasons; most of which revolved around the lack of funds to go out and enjoy himself to the fullest.

It was for that reason that, most of the evenings, she found herself mostly in the confines of Naruto's apartment, if not conversing than simply lounging around and playing her shamisen. Even after nearly three months of time together, Naruto found Yugito's hobby to be a rather pleasurable to listen to; having not ever really heard people play the instrument that often growing up. He had once asked about learning how to play and quickly discovered he sucked at it. So he simply took to enjoying the tunes that Yugito played during the course of the evenings when she decided to play. Nights such as this, which brings us back to Naruto's position now on the floor, noodles slowly being consumed in a quiet pace as Yugito continued to play without a care in the world. One of the things he took to understanding was that slurping loudly while she played wasn't the way to go.

You could say whatever you wanted about Naruto, but one thing that could not be said was that he was inattentive to things he found enjoyable. That was a conclusion which Yugito herself had come to over the time spent with him. Not a single moment in the entire time she played did he divert his attention away from her; not once. The way his eyes would switch from each of her hands as she struck and manipulated the cords, or the fact that a few stands of noodles would fall from out of the cup and onto his shirt. Even if she didn't know him as well as his friends did, she knew enough about him to know that if he's spilling ramen of all things, than she truly had his undivided attention. If she were to be truly honest with herself, the fact that she was getting such unspoken praise was flattering. As for Naruto, well he was just enthralled in the music she was creating and how well she played it, in his eyes. It was new to him, something he had never heard before, and that was all it took to have him hooked to it.

"You know," Uttered the woman, breaking Naruto out of his dazed state of mind; making him almost spill whatever remained of his ramen. "As much as I enjoy an audience, you don't need to make a mess in the process of listening."

At this statement, Naruto's gaze turned puzzled before taking in his own appearance; only to let out a grunt of annoyance as he picked off the noodles that had fallen onto his shirt. This actually erected a light chuckle to escape Yugito's lips, which was soon joined by Naruto's own sheepish laughter as his left hand rose to scratch the back of his head.

"Y-yeah, kinda got distracted for a minute there." Responded the young man, still looking rather embarrassed about his little blunder with the noodles. "Can you blame me though? I mean, I've never heard someone play with that thing before and to me that sounds pretty sweet."

Yugito couldn't suppress the small smile from forming on her lips even if she tried. Most of the time, she did this in private without any sort of audience that would actually appreciate the music she created. She knew she was a skilled shinobi, the respect that she had gained in Kumo was proof enough of that fact alone. As a shinobi, she knew she was skilled; but when it came down to her hobby she had always considered herself sub-par at best. Fact was, the only people that even knew she played the Shamisen were close friends and Kirabi due to their time together before coming here. Of course, just because they knew she played it did not mean that they knew if she was good at it or not. So, to her, it was a pretty nice to know that she was at least decent enough at something outside of her profession. Even if it did come from a young man who had claimed to have never heard someone play the instrument before.

"Thanks." Despite how she felt regarding his statement, her tone betrayed her in a ways; making it seem as if dismissing the complement entirely.

"I'm serious!" At this, Naruto was no longer concerned with the ramen anymore and the grin that was plastered to his face instantly caught her attention. "Even if I had heard someone else play that thing, I'll bet all the ramen in my cabinet that you're better than them."

Not even a second after this statement was made; the sound of Yugito's laughter filled the usually quiet apartment. She was laughing not because of how outrageous his statement was, if anything she was quiet flattered by it. But the fact that he would bet ramen of all things over something so trivial as her skill in an instrument was simply too much to endure without cracking up just a bit. At this point, the said instrument was removed from her lap and onto the vacant spot beside her on the couch. As her laughter began to die down, she took note of the confused expression that was planted onto Naruto's face, his grin no longer present and his facial expression clearly displaying his curiosity.

"What?"

Yugito didn't really respond to that statement, merely chose to shake her head before stretching herself out where she sat, causing the her shirt to hike up slightly and thus expose her naval. Naruto, still confused, merely pouted at her response but just let the matter slide and rose to his feet himself; his intent being to dispose of the now empty cup of ramen.

"Oh, I forgot." Was the statement that could be heard from Yugito not but a couple feet away from his person. Clearly able to hear the shifting of her body on the sofa, he guessed that she had turned to face his back from her position on the couch. "Some of your friends gave me and you an invitation to go out with them tonight. They said they told you already, but you said no."

Confusion was still present on his face as he tried to recall exactly who could have asked him about an outing this evening. After a few moments time, the memory returned before shrugging off the question with a simple word. "So?"

"So," Responded the woman, her gaze was something that Naruto could, honest to god, feel when directed onto him. In addition to that, the way she dragged the word longer than she should have was sending off warnings for questions he was not sure he was going to like. "Care to explain why?"

Once again, Naruto merely shrugged his shoulders in response before turning to face the woman, the same grin once more plastered onto his face as he faced her. "Cause if I didn't, you'd have been stuck here by yourself all night. I wouldn't want ya to be stuck here bored out of your mind if you didn't go and I wouldn't want ya to force yourself to go to avoid being stuck here."

It was here that Naruto actually took notice of the fact that only the top portion of her head was visible to him. He was not mistaken about the fact that her eyes were locked onto his form, though the lower half of her nose and face remained hidden behind the cushion. But with the way that a single eyebrow of her's was cocked upwards was pretty obvious, even to him, that his answer had confused her in some way. Though, he personally didn't see how or why she would be confused in regards to his statement. As the resident of this apartment, Yugito was a guest in his home; and Naruto hardly ever had guests stay in his home for longer than a few hours at most, minutes at least. Sad fact was that, as Jiriaya had more than likely mentioned somewhere down the lines, Yugito was the first girl –no, an actual grown _woman_– to even stay in his home for longer than a few moments. Even Sakura had never been in his home for anything longer than a few minutes. Yet here Yugito was, sitting in his home in her night-wear, chatting with him as if they had been roommates for a number of years now.

Upon entering that train of thought though, Naruto's thought process soon shifted in a direction which he would result in a number of mental curses towards not just himself, but to that damnable sensei of his for exposing him to his stupid perverted thoughts and tendencies over the course of the three years they spent together in training.

Yugito, however, didn't really take the time to ponder the grimace that formed on the fellow blonde's face as he stood there mentally bashing his foot into the wall. Her thoughts were more focused on something else, something she had come to accept when it came to the young man in front of her. Despite how he seemed, despite a good portion of things regarding him that she head heard since her stay here, Naruto was not by any means selfish. It was one of the things that his teammate had mentioned during one of the few instances in which the two spoke to one another. And she could clearly see that he wasn't, hell anyone who took the time to know him as his friends have would be able to reach the same conclusion. He supposedly never did anything that could possibly hurt anyone he considered close to him. He would suffer any pain that threatened to be inflicted on someone else, lift the burdens of others off their shoulders and carry it himself, and he supposedly never went back on his word. At the time, she found such things as just bravado and nothing more than that; which was something she admittedly felt guilty about now that she knew the truth behind the orange-clad Genin. She was not ignorant of his status either, nor was she ignorant of the village's disdain towards him in his youth. That knowledge had been the first real wake-up call that drove her to try and understand more about the young man in the first place. That knowledge, compiled with the knowledge gained by his teammates and friends, all lead up to painting a picture she never expected to see in someone like him.

Being exposed to that selflessness, no matter how trivial it was, only served as a reminder that Naruto was indeed a unique individual given his profession. A killer who shouldered burdens, took the blame for other's weakness, experienced pain to protect another; those things and so much more made Naruto a very interesting piece of work. If she could, if she truly honestly could, Yugito would have been very interested in seeing where this selfless persona had originated from and what spurred on to grow into the man he was today.

Even with the only facial feature visible being her eyes, had he been paying attention, those same sharp eyes displayed a warmth that was not seen very often; even in her own home.

"You're entitled to at least enjoy yourself every once in a while." Commented the woman, the lower portion of her face no longer being hidden by the cushion any longer, but instead covered by her folded arms that were now perched on top of the cushion itself. "Don't let me staying here keep you from enjoying time with your friends Naruto."

Hearing her statements, both of them, caused Naruto to pry himself away from the rather perverse thoughts that were slowing rising to the surface to at least listen to her. Though, upon hearing them, Naruto's gaze turned flat as he stared back at the woman on his couch, who was still peering at him from where she sat. He himself couldn't see the glint of warmth in those eyes that she unknowingly had this entire time, only the same flat stare that he was now returning back towards her. The only difference really was that Naruto's emotions were like an open book, and they were currently sending the woman a signal that pretty much spoke for itself. But, as Yugito had come to realize, his title of 'Most Surprising Ninja of Konoha' made reading him and knowing what his next words would be impossible to determine.

"I'm with a friend right now aint I?" The way he had said it made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world, as if he really shouldn't have needed to say it in the first place. After which, his infamous grin once again returned full force. "I enjoy myself a lot just hanging out here with you; so I don't need to go out to have a good time. Besides, I'm still not leaving you here alone while I go and have fun on my own. You're my friend too Yugito-chan, and I'm not gonna leave you behind."

The silence that followed this statement, aside from the slight chuckling from Naruto of course. For Yugito, however, the silence didn't signify anything at all really. She just had very little to say about that statement, if nothing at all regarding a retort. If there was one thing she could note, however, it was that Naruto was observant if nothing else. Had he noticed that her presence, to this day, was still the cause of his friend's discomfort? If that was the case, than it would explain why he was always here with her on nights such as these. It had been the sole reason for the entire time she had been here that she hadn't accepted one invitation that was offered to her. It wasn't that she cared about it, but these were Naruto's friends, people he had grown to cherish and care about since the moment they accepted him into their lives as someone important to them too. She didn't want her presence there to ruin that friendship that he had taken so long to finally attain just by considering her one of those people he cherished so much. She didn't want her status here to ruin everything he tried so hard to gain only to lose it all solely due to association with her.

She couldn't let that happen.

She _wouldn't _let that happen; not after what she had been told.

Course, what she didn't know was that Naruto was still, by all accounts, an idiot who simply didn't want to leave his new friend alone.

But, that's beside the point.

The silence that had been quick to claim the two of them was abruptly brushed away with a sigh that had escaped the woman's lips as she pushed herself back up from the couch, leaving the Shamisen where it laid as she walked around the sofa and towards the bedroom, the bedroom that they both shared with the additional bed added to the opposite wall adjacent to Naruto's own. In doing this, her path was bound to cross Naruto's, given the fact that the small kitchen that made up his apartment was directly across from his living room; if it could be called a kitchen that is. Still, Naruto watched with a confused and slightly worried gaze, unsure if something he had said had upset the woman in question if her sudden retreat to the bedroom was of any indicator. However, just as her from was about to pass him and his mouth opened to question her on this sudden retreat, the woman did something that actually made anything he was about to say and every thought that was to be conceived vanish in an instant.

And that was in the form of a rather quick, short, sweet, and simple kiss right on the lips.

The instant she pulled away, her cheeks slightly tinted with a rosy hue, she offered the young man the smile that had been hidden and masked this entire time.

"That's for being a sweetheart." Was the statement of pure, absolute, truth. There wasn't any special requirement for something like this, not in her eyes at least. Of all the tales he had shared with her, from his greatest victories to his most devastating defeats, from his pranks as a child to overcoming the challenges that came with adulthood. All those tales, all those times, and never once in those stories had she heard of him getting a reward that was deserving of all he had done for those around him. Wave Country named their bridge after him, the Kazekage, along with Suna as a whole, was eternally in his debt. While useful and honorable on many levels, she just didn't feel as though that was enough. Nothing was enough for all the good he had supposedly done. And she believed every word now, after-all no one had yet to say that any of those tales weren't true.

She now understood why the Hokage had told her what she had two months ago, why she felt the need to tell her the things regarding Naruto that the people around him had just started to take note of.

She claimed, in her own words, that Naruto had a gift; a gift that wasn't about fighting, wasn't about getting an upper hand against another. It was the simple, yet powerful, gift of changing people for the better. The power of change and she could honestly say that she was now a firm believer in what the Hokage had said.

Because, as subtle as it was, she too was beginning change. For better or for worse, she didn't know nor care; that was something that would come with time. For now, though, this would hopefully suffice as a great enough reward; even if he himself didn't know why he got it in the first place.

"Don't ever change, alright?" It wasn't really a question, if her tone was of any indicator at all. It was a demand more like, but that all depended on how one viewed this situation. "I like the Naruto I'm looking at right now the way he is."

And just like that, without waiting for any confirmation at all, she swept past his still frozen form. Only his eyes had followed her as she disappeared into the bedroom they shared that was immersed in darkness. She didn't need the light to see through the dark; a passive trait that he had soon discovered she had over the course of her stay. That, or she was just that fucking skilled as a kunoichi; which wouldn't surprise him at all considering she is a Jounin. Yet, even after several long moments passed him by, Naruto had still yet to move. The only movement that was made was the opening and closing of his eyelids in rapid secession. Dumbfounded beyond all belief regarding the events that had played out just a few moments ago; his mind desperately trying to wrap his mind around what Yugito had just done. Why had she done that? Why kiss him? What did he do to deserve that? How was he supposed to deal with this in the coming days? So many questions, so many things that were traveling through his brain at this given moment that he honestly had no fucking answer for.

He honestly didn't know when he sat himself down onto the couch in his living room. Honestly, he didn't even remember moving in here. But he was here now, he was just sitting here; in a bit of a daze and outright baffled. Sure, he had gotten a kiss from Tsunade once but that was more in a motherly kind of fashion rather than the one Yugito had just given him. He was _**NOT **_counting his accidental kiss with Sasuke in this at all; fact that was a memory he was wishing to burn out of his memory forever; along with that entire day for that matter. As small, as minor, as insignificant and petty as it could be considered, Naruto's mind simply could not tear itself away from that random action that she had performed. Nobody had done something such as that to him; not a single soul had done that and it was just messing with his head severely.

The sudden movement of his left hand abruptly resulted in a familiar noise beside him; something which had been quick to finally jolt him out of his thoughts. It was Yugito's Shamisen, apparently his hands had brushed against the cords when he moved a moment ago. The strum did help, if only to provide him with a distraction for the time being, as he reached over and picked up the instrument. With it now positioned in his lap, his deep sapphire spheres examined every inch of the device; having never really done so when he first tried to play it. Damn thing looked so simple; yet when he had done it he could not produce the same music that the fellow blond had displayed not even ten minutes ago. It was annoying, but it was also something he found neat. With only three strings the woman could create such music that he personally found quite enjoyable. It only took three strings to create such an amazing sound, three strings that could fill this usually empty and quiet apartment with music that he was never privileged to hear.

Three strings, three, damn, strings to have him captivated into the melody that was created.

One of these days, hopefully before her time in his care was over, he was gonna learn how to play this damn thing. That though alone, was enough to erect a bit of a stained smile before picking up the instrument along with himself off the couch and outdoors; specifically heading for the roof.

No use trying to play the thing when the woman who owns it was trying to sleep now is there?

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And there we are, something for those Naru/Yugi fans can enjoy. The One-Shot itself was actually inspired by a song that I had the oddly sudden urge to listen to; and once I heard it I though of this. Song was The Way I Are, Timbaland; shoot me if you wish but fuck you Keri Hilson was **hot** in that video.

Also, to those who are familiar with my work and such, I'm throwing this information out there for you. The purpose of this was so I could get my creative spark back, for it seems I may have lost my touch over the years. For the massive stalling, the lack of information regarding my status and all the waiting you have put up with; I don't know what to say in that regard. I would apologize but that kinda seems pointless since I still can't promise anything and it would be half-hearted. I don't apologize half-heartedly, so all I can say is that I'll see how this idea of mine works. if I get my creative spark back, maybe I can finally overcome the writers block that has been kicking me in the quads since my last update.

In my closing statements I will state that this has not been beta'ed and any grammatical or spelling errors that are found will be adjusted the moment I am made aware of them. Also, I would honestly like some feedback on how I made Yugito appear in this, since she's still a bit of a wild-card in my eyes. I think I did a good job, but that's not for me to decide; hence why there's that nice little button that says 'review' at the bottom there.

You know, the one you click after putting forth your opinion in the text box above it?

Yeeeeah, that one: **Click it**.


	2. Chapter 2

Greetings, nice to know that a lot of people read the first chapter, so hopefully this next one will sate the few people who actually reviewed for the first one. From those that did, and by seeing a second chapter, I think it can be said that this is going to be a full-blow story, though done in the manner I see fit. The timelines are going to corrilate with the cannon plot to some degree, but its kinda hard to make everything fit occordingly so I want to remind everyone that this is AU, not heavily AU, but enough for there to be a noticable difference. That being said, I'll do my best to keep to my original plan of staying as close to the cannon plot-line as possible, but I can only promise so much with all things considering.

Now, enough talk, onward with the story!

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**I don't own Naruto: If I did, Yugito would still be alive and fornicating with Naruto by now...**

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How does one cope with loss; with utter defeat, hopelessness, weakness, or regret? Many methods could, and often were, put into effect for the sole purpose of coping with such negative emotions. Course, the term 'coping' was regarded rather loosely in these events; as most individual's would much rather discard all thoughts regarding the issue that evoked the negative sensations rather than try to cope with them. Adults tended to drown themselves in alcohol, drugs, or whatever other means there was that would numb those troubling thoughts for a time. The problem was, no matter how far gone you end up, the truth of it all was that the thoughts would still linger within and surface once more; along with the pain. But that was how things worked for some people, for it was much harder to cope with something than it was to try and forget it all entirely. Young adults, however, didn't have that luxury when it concerned their troubles, their grievances or doubts; but that's what good friends were there for and that was how they got through those troubles. Well, that wasn't a real fact, as some would much rather bottle up their emotions and not let other's see that they're in pain; that they're hurt, or suffering. It wasn't a healthy way to live, it wasn't the right way to deal with their troubles, but those that do so are already aware of this fact and don't give a shit.

It was better to deal with it alone than to trouble someone else with their problems.

It was a logical conclusion and it made sense to some people; such as Yugito. She knew all too well that some people tended to handle their problems differently than others. No amount of advice, courtship, or conversation would break that kind of mindset in a short margin of time. Sure, you could do those things, assure them that they won't mind listening to their troubles, but those people would always be thankful to them yet never take them up on the offer. She had seen it enough times, done it a number of times herself in the past, and it wasn't a matter of being unwilling to vent; merely it was the lack of personal closeness with another individual that kept them silent. If the right person was there, a person to which they could truly be forthcoming with their thoughts and troubles, than you could deduce that the person who's comforting the other with merely their patience and undivided attention was someone whom was either very close or a equally trustworthy individual. Sadly, Yugito didn't know of anyone who knew this person in particular that they trusted to such an extent.

A Jounin of Kumogakure, Jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata, daughter of a highly respected shinobi family, and all of that meant nothing in concerns to helping a young loud-mouth idiot of a Genin through his troubles.

She herself wasn't all that aware of the details, but a recent lead on Naruto's defected teammate had lead to the boy's abrupt departure from the village; with his teammate Haruno Sakura and two non-familiar shinobi taking part in the investigation. That had been all she had been told by the boy himself before he practically rushed out the door with a fire in his eyes that she had yet to ever bare witness to. It may have seemed rude of him, but she knew enough of him at this point to know that this assignment was quite important to him. Nearly a week after their departure, the team returned and that fire that had once been radiant in his gaze had seemed to grow dimmer. It didn't take someone of her skills to conclude that the mission had ended in a failure and his former teammate was still at large. Almost four months ago, she would have been chiding the kid for trying to bring back someone who obviously didn't wish to be here; would have even suggested that they simply kill him to eliminate a future threat to the village. Upon gaining an understanding of what this defector meant to the whole team, well, she could understand to some degree but not to all of it. She didn't voice her disagreement with the idea of bringing back the scum, but that was only out of courtesy to Naruto and nothing more. Had the topic even been brought up between herself and another Jounin, she would be honest and say that elimination would be the best solution. She might not make a lot of friends in the village, but in this profession that was how things were done and most high ranking shinobi would not be able to argue against that.

But Naruto wasn't a normal shinobi, a fact that is often shoved in her face half the time. He wanted to save his friend, the fact that he still called the traitor a friend was proof enough that he wasn't a normal shinobi, but the fact was he wished to save him. She had spoken out against that statement a few times in the past when the subject came up and he responded to it in a surprisingly level-headed manner; or as level headed as someone like him could provide. But now, upon seeing him the way he was, she herself felt the need to bring the subject of his teammate's elimination back up. Not out of duty to his village, not for the sake of his profession, but because this 'rescue' bit was slowly destroying him and his teammates.

It showed too, if the way he was practically throwing himself into training day-in and day-out since his return home. Half of the time, Yugito didn't even see him come home or leave; that was saying something considering the fact that the two shared a room. Upon reflection, she deduced that it wasn't the fact that she hadn't seen him; rather it was that he had never come back home from that training on some nights. She knew how dedicated he was, was aware of his habits of occasionally spending tremendous amounts of his free time training to prefect something that he was dead-set on accomplishing. But after certain amount of time, spending several nights in a row away from home and out training was going too far over the edge. Jinchuuriki or no, that wasn't humane and it certainly wasn't a healthy habit. So, with that incentive, Yugito went out in search of the orange-clad blonde and, if absolutely necessary, drag his sorry ass back home to get some proper rest.

The task, in itself, was easier said than done; considering the fact that she had absolutely no fucking idea where that boy had ran off to. She had searched just about everywhere she could think of and did not find a remote trace of the lad's location. Hell, the owner of the ramen stand which Naruto was a frequent customer of hadn't even seen him in a rather long time; and that honestly made her concerns carry more merit. If he hadn't shown up there, than he has undoubtedly not been around within the village that much since he began this self-imposed training. With that in mind, the woman took to the next best thing and chose to actually ask around; his friend's discomfort be damned. Hopefully, she wouldn't be forced into scouring around the entire village to find his gang of friends; otherwise she would be wasting a good portion of her of time. Hence why, with the mid-after-noon's sun still radiant above, she found herself at the residence of his female teammate, Haruno Sakura, as she knocked on their door. The noise behind the door had been enough of an indicator that someone was approaching, and thus she straightened herself to keep her professionalism in check. Within a few more seconds of patient waiting, the door to the household opened to reveal the very young woman whom she was looking for.

Sakura, on her part, was surprised to find the blonde woman's presence here at her home. Being fully aware of who the woman was, along with the person who was her change, she wasn't as startled by meeting as opposed to her presence here of all places; which showed by the brief moment of her eyes widening before adjusting back to normal. Unlike some, Yugito and Sakura had often shared more than a few words in the few occasions that they two interacted with each other. Having the opportunity to speak to a foreign shinobi on good terms wasn't something she could easily pass up given her inquisitive nature. The customs of another village so completely different from their own was something she truly enjoyed knowing though social interaction rather than through texts written in books; half of which were a load of crap to begin with after spending a portion of time with Yugito.

So, with all that being said, it was safe to say that Sakura wasn't among the group that was discomforted by Yugito's presence. Though there were certain facts that did often leave her troubled from time to time during their conversations.

Mainly it was the woman's blunt-nature that off-set Sakura the most. It didn't bother her as much as it disturbed her with how casually she was with the things she spoke of. Assassinations, politics, hell even her thoughts regarding the opposite sex was all straight forward. It was just so casual the way she spoke of subjects such as those; as if she was deciding what to eat for breakfast that morning. It disturbed her, but it all went back to Kumogakure's culture. They were primarily military driven, not economically like Konohagakure. They focused on military strength and dominating presence rather than political power and methods of peace. Neither party was in the wrong to think and do things their own way, as both nations were powerful and forces not to be trifled with or underestimated. But the thing that really off-set Sakura the most, however, was the subject regarding her idiot of a teammate who acted as the woman's caretaker.

While their discussions regarding the blond were as few as their actual interactions, when the subject did appear Yugito seemed noticeably more interested in that particular topic than any other that was brought up. She would make many inquiries regarding him, to the point that it reached a personal level that she really wasn't comfortable discussing with her. She didn't pry, but that look that Sakura received from her when she avoided certain questions showed that the cogs in her mind were turning. It had been strange, hell it was still strange to this day in her eyes that someone could hold so much interest in someone like Naruto. Given, the two did live together and that would inspire anyone to gain more information regarding their fellow tenant, but what was the purpose of asking if she was romantically interested in the idiot?

Her response to that question had been met with silence, a rather scolding glare, and an abrupt ending of any and all conversation by her departure.

Hopefully she wasn't here to act on the numerous, and rather unwarranted, insults she had spurted out that day.

"Yugito-san." Greeted the young woman with nearly all smiles. She honestly hoped that the woman had forgotten that incident, hell she somewhat wished to forget it herself all things considering. It was just so sudden that the question had been brought up that she acted like she was an academy student all over again. Back then, she would have done the same thing and not feel nearly as guilty about it as she would now. But things had changed, and she was a much better person than she was back then. Still, she acted out of impulse and that had possibly put her in a bad place within the Kumo Jounin's book.

"Haruno-san." Was the clipped response that Yugito chose to respond with. Course, to the not-so-casual observer, one could determine that there was indeed a slight edge in her tone as she spoke the woman's name. Oh, she did not forget about Sakura's comments regarding her caretaker; something the young woman took note of judging by the almost unnoticeable flinch her body made. She didn't forget, but she could learn to forgive and forgive she did. Yugito wasn't nearly as upset as she made it appear; that was part of deception that she had long since mastered. But rather than let it be forgotten, Yugito felt it best to try approach the woman this way for the sake of gaining the knowledge she was looking for without having to pussy-foot around to get there. It was just easier to invoke intimidation rather than to go about it delicately. Maybe once her search for her change was complete, she'd finally allow the pink-haired young woman some piece of mind knowing that she isn't on her shit-list.

For now, though, pretending that she was would suffice.

"I don't want to waste too much of your time, so I'll go straight to the point." Continued the woman, not allowing the girl a moment's pause after their initial greeting to speak. "My caretaker has been absent for several days now and it has aroused my concern. I wish to know if you have any information at all regarding his whereabouts so that I may assess his emotional condition."

Yup, she was as blunt as ever; that same straightforwardness that made Sakura uneasy at times such as now. And judging by the edge that was noticeable in her tone was a good indicator that she did not forget her words. Hence why, the moment she heard it, she unintentionally flinched. Why was she holding a grudge about that? She knew she was in the wrong and she was still beating herself up over it ever since their failed attempt to retrieve Sasuke not long ago. Losing him again had been devastating, but seeing the utter defeat in Naruto for the second time in three years had been far worse than anything else she could hope to experience. It made the things she had said to Yugito weigh that much heavier on her shoulders; knowing that her words had directed at the person who was doing everything he could to keep a promise she should have never forced him to take.

Yugito's presence, her tone, and her ever-patient but knowing eyes only served to add insult to injury.

"He's….." Emerald green spheres shifted elsewhere as she leaned against the left side of the doorframe. Her hands, while still, seemed much more interesting than the woman before her. Her first reaction was to respond to the statement in complete honesty, give her the information which she wanted so that she would be on her way and away from her. But, just as she was about to respond, something in the woman's statement finally registered in her mind that made her respond differently than she had intended. "Wait, what do you mean 'assess his emotional condition'?"

If the woman was surprised by the question she was being addressed with, she did not show it. It was drilled into her bones to expect the unexpected, to be prepared for any situation that may or may not occur during the course of her career. This was a prime example of that training paying off, having gained the foresight to expect some of the outcomes which her statement would most likely provoke. Course, it was impossible to determine every outcome of every situation out there as well as have the foresight to expect every outcome to her actions or her words. Even still, the things she could expect she could prepare for accordingly, and the question which was erected by the pink haired Chuunin was among those questions which she was prepared for. So, when the statement was made, she didn't even bat an eyelash at it and merely continued to maintain her aloofness.

"I am aware of your recent mission to locate your defected teammate and return him back to the village. I am also aware that the mission had resulted in failure as the traitor is still at large. Henceforth, I grow concerned regarding my caretaker as he appeared to be noticeably distant upon his return, in addition to becoming absent from his home for long durations of time. That leads me to conclude that he is attempting to-"

"He wants to be stronger." While the response regarding the girl's question was something she expected, the interruption was not. Sakura's interjection also allowed her the means to take note of her sudden change in body language. Before, Sakura appeared apprehensive as a direct result of her intimidating presence here at her home. Now, however, her demeanor had completely changed from the former and into that of depression and sorrow. Those eyes, emerald green spheres that she could see holding a great warmth behind them, were now filled with so many emotions that it was astounding. Regret being the most powerful among all that she had witnessed in those spheres. She didn't realize it then, but at a later time she would realize that her own professional appearance had been dropped all for the sake of listening to whatever the young woman had to say. It had been the stained smile that the said young woman had presented her which made all her intentions of locating her friend vanish for the time being.

Yugito was worried about her caretaker, but right now someone else that was close to him needed to vent.

Why the hell not?

"If you want to talk," Began to Jounin, unintentionally slipping out of her professional and aloof persona and into the woman which Naruto called friend and frequently shared words with on a daily bases. "I'll listen."

Once again, Sakura's reaction to this sudden change of heart had been brief, before she allowed herself to smile with a little less sorrow hidden beneath it and gestured her inside. With a nod of acknowledgement towards the gesture, she stepped into the young woman's abode and, upon shutting the front door, lead the way towards her room on the upper level of the home. Upon reaching her personal domain, Yugito found herself with a rather plain room, decently furnished and a little bit messy due to the abundance of books and scrolls that were scattered around the room. The small wooden desk and chair stuck out the most to the Jounin's eyes, its presence in the room conflicted with the decor; which meant it had been a rather recent addition in concerns to Sakura's furnishings. Still, it was plain and a bit bigger than expected; though comparing it to Naruto's own bedroom wasn't fair considering that they shared it without so much hassle. Over-all, she found it cozy, a nice enough location to discuss the personal matters without feeling too much discomfort.

Being the guest, Yugito took to the chair that was meant for the desk, whilst Sakura herself took to the comfort of her own bed. With but the adjustment of the chairs placement, the blonde seated herself in front of the girl who was sitting cross-legged on the only other piece of furniture in the room. Despite the turn of events, Sakura still seemed somewhat uneasy about the whole situation, being in the same room as the woman who carried something similar to her teammate and all. Though, that wasn't the thing that made her feel uneasy, it was just a factor that still played its part. Course, it wasn't right to judge a person based on circumstances like those; the best examples of that were Naruto himself and Kirabi. If one didn't know better, they would never in their lives suspect that the said individuals housed the two most powerful entities in the living world. It was a sweet relief, yet at the same time the most terrifying factor of all.

But, that wasn't important at the moment.

What was important was breaking this damnable silence that had made up the room currently. Yugito had offered to listen to her talk, but how did she begin discussing a topic like this to someone who was generally an unknown? Again, they had talked a number of times since her arrival, but those conversations were brief and few. This little 'talk' was going to be far from brief considering all that which she needed to explain. So, the question again was how to start this conversation off? How was she to begin this explanation to someone who she had such limited interaction with? It was hard enough on her and Naruto for that matter, to discuss it with their closest friends; let alone talking about it to a foreigner. Feeling her confidence and drive to proceed with this explanation withering away, Sakura resigned herself to just forgoing the whole thing and apologize to the woman for wasting her time.

"Is that him?"

That simple question broke all previous thoughts when she glanced in the direction that the woman was facing. Indeed, Yugito had caught sight of Team 7's Genin photo that she kept on her nightstand. The picture was old, along with the memories that were present every time she looked at it. The times when things were much more simplistic in nature; where the only big concern to the three of them was learning something new or going on another mission. Times where she would watch as Naruto and Sasuke argued, or times when the three of them would actually work together to overcome an obstacle that stood in their way. Hell, one of the most humorous moments in their time back then was working together to try and see what their sensei's face looked like underneath his mask. The fond memories that brought up from just glancing at it erected a small smile to form on her face as she reached over and plucked the picture-frame up off nightstand to examine it with the sort of fondness she often saw her parents do when looking their her baby-pictures. The sentimental value of something so simple as a picture, not even a remotely good one due to both the boy's expressions, was something that was both remarkable and precious.

"Yes." She said this simple statement with what could be depicted as a sigh; and only she would know if it was out of contentment or one of mourning. One thing was for sure though, the picture was definitely something she cherished more so than any other possession she may have to this date. With the same, small smile still present on her lips, she raised her eyes back to meet the gaze of the woman seated opposite her, unknowingly clutching the picture bit as she held it. "Uchiha Sasuke, our teammate, and…I guess you could say a cherished friend of ours."

Having taken a decent enough look at the photo prior to mentioning it, Yugito could already determine that the picture itself must have been taken early in their career. Kumo didn't do things such as that often, mainly those were reserved for the off-chance you have a sensei who cared enough to do something like that. Those types of people were rare honestly, which at the same time sent her down her own road of memory-lane. Nothing too special about it really, as all she had now were a few pictures and some names on the memorial wall that she could served as a reminder of her early career as a shinobi. Though, in the back of her mind, part of her did miss those old days when things were somewhat simpler than they were now. But, the past wasn't something she dwelled on that often, and it might as well remain that way as nothing from back then really mattered all that much now.

It still bothered her how different Konoha was in comparison to Kumo, and the fact that Sakura's team was so close did fill her with a tad bit of envy.

Envy aside, Yugito took to leaning her body forward slightly, propping her elbows onto her knees whilst holding her head up on the palm of her left hand. To the casual observer, it would appear as if she was disinterested with this entire event, as if no part of the conversation that was soon to come would hold any significance to her. To Sakura, however, it didn't take someone like Kakashi to note the attentive look that shined clearer than day in those dark sphere's of hers. Posture didn't matter, because she was damn sure that she currently had the blonde woman's complete and undivided attention.

"What happened?"

That was a good question really. What did happen? What had been the real cause that caused the events to unfold in the manner in which they had? Was it the curse mark that Orochimaru had placed on Sasuke during the exam? Or was it the fact that Naruto had sudden grown so much, became noticeably stronger in such a short span of time? So many ideas of when it could have happened, when all this mess had truly started, but Sakura could not determine the exact moment when everything went downhill. That much was made pretty clear when the smile on her features died away and was once more over stricken with grief along with curiosity.

"I…don't really know." It was a sincere response; one that caused the woman in front of her to raise an eyebrow in response. None the less, the woman remained silent as Sakura did her best to try and gather her thoughts to try and explain how things turned out this way. It hadn't taken long to gather her thoughts, it just took time to actually speak them. Several moments of silence finally took its toll and Sakura decided to explain from where she believed things really went wrong. "It had started during our first Chuunin exam, the second portion of it to be exact-"

* * *

It didn't take much coaxing after bringing up her teammate for the words to spill from the younger woman's lips regarding the boy known as Uchiha Sasuke. Yugito knew of the Uchiha, hell there wasn't a shinobi village in the world that _didn't_ know that name. The boy known as Sasuke, from what Sakura had explained, was a very capable young man and an astounding shinobi of his generation. Of course she would have expected as much, otherwise she would have been quite disappointed if he had been anything less than decently skilled. Throughout the conversation regarding him, from Team 7's first attempt in the Exams to his eventual departure from Konoha, the blonde Jounin had reached the conclusion that was glaringly obvious to her which had all but fueled her desire to convince Naruto to cease with his pursuit of the Uchiha. The boy was spawned into a privileged clan, had some of the best training that could be offered to him, and yet he still felt inferior; so much so that his jealousy over his fellow teammate over-came his duty as a shinobi. For Kami's sake he was a Genin, a skilled Genin, but a Genin none the less. But, at the same time, she could understand his frustration when being compared to a Jinchuuriki; and one who was obviously not as skilled then as he very well could have been at the time. But Jinchuuriki were not always chosen to bare the gift of becoming one, some were simply forced to play the role of container; regardless of if they had a choice in the matter or not.

She wasn't particularly fond of the training she underwent to achieve her level of skill as both a shinobi and as a Jinchuuriki, but she still carried the honor of being one with her head held high.

Naruto, however, didn't and that was just another piece of knowledge she didn't even remotely pretend to like. Perhaps if the Uchiha boy had known of Naruto's blessing, or course dependant on one's viewpoint, he would not have felt as discouraged as he did? Perhaps he would have understood that Naruto's inborn talents were not all something that he had chosen to have, but simply born with without his consent. If the boy had known then, had he been aware of his teammate's 'curse', than it was possible that he wouldn't have deserted the village in search of power. The fact that his said teammate carried the strongest of the biju yet still considered the Uchiha his rival could, at least in her eyes, been seen as a privilege and honor. To her, it showed that he held a deep respect for his teammate's abilities, showed he could be as skilled as he was then without the need of a creature to make him have a far greater advantage than most human beings could fathom. But, that all tied in with the past now and it was clear to her now that the said Uchiha was now much stronger than he had been back then; if Sakura's description of Sasuke's capabilities now held any merit.

But the conversation regarding her lost teammate had long since passed, long sense been finished, yet Yugito still remained in the pink haired girl's bedroom. Reason being was that, upon having her reflect on all that had occurred and re-opening old wounds, the blonde woman chose to try and cheer up the young woman by a mere shift in topics. Her subject of discussion had been simple at first; her regards to their team's past experiences; though having knowledge of a majority of them from Naruto himself. The result of this, however, opened up new stories which Naruto had not shared with her; one of which being the story of their graduation test with their sensei. Hearing about Naruto's sensei literally 'butt poking' the boy had not been excluded from the tale, something which both disturbed yet humored the woman a great deal. Before long, many of the team's misadventures had been brought to life that Yugito had not been told; mostly the one's regarding her blonde friend's misfortune during said events. It had erected in a number of laughs that had ultimately cured the sour mood that had taken up the room before.

One thing had to be said though; Yugito could understand why Naruto cared so much about this girl.

Sakura look quite nice when she was smiling.

"I take it you three never saw his face after all of that?"

In response to the question she was addressed with, Sakura merely shook her head though giggling a bit as the events of their curiosity over what was beneath Kakashi's mask was retold. "Nope, he had us on the edge of our seats though. You have no idea how pissed all three of us were when it looked like he was going to show us. All he ended up showing us was the other mask under the first; pissed us all off to no end and we just gave up after that."

"I thought Naruto didn't give up on anything?" Retorted the woman, her posture noticeably more relaxed since the beginning of their little talk; her tone filled to the brim with amusement.

"He doesn't, fact I still think he asks the other Jounin's about it from time to time." As Sakura said this, her hand found itself being placed on her forehead whilst still holding a pleased expression on her features. "Shoot, he hasn't given up trying to play that Shamisen since he got it."

Hearing that statement instantly created a reaction from both women present in the room; one of renewed interest and the other realization. Yugito watched as the young girl's expression became thoughtful, her gaze turning to the ceiling whilst her index finger rested on her chin in thought. "Come to think of it, I think he mentioned something about you being good with that thing."

"Did he now?" Muttered the woman, feigning her disinterest in where this topic was going in favor of 'adjusting' the prayer beads on her arm. Had she been paying attention to Sakura during her inspection, she would have noticed the knowing look that had presented itself in the girl's emerald eyes.

"He talks about you a lot, you know." Many could imply that this was far from a question and more like a statement; and they would be correct. The moment she said this, Yugito's attention had diverted back towards the girl in front of her, though her expression remained devoid of acknowledgement. Sakura, however, knew better than to judge these things by mere expressions; having witnessed the same gaze in Yugito's eyes than she had frequently seen in a certain Hyuuga Hinata. She didn't need to be a Jounin to know that, and she had enough experience to know when someone was trying to hide it from everyone. "He says great things about you too; says your great company to have around and I can believe that in full."

Yugito, despite herself, was at a loss of words for all but a moment before her composure returned. "Not really, I'm just-"

"You're like him, different in many ways but still very much like he is at times." The interruption had silenced any sort of retort which Yugito attempted to make. "Neither of you try to show weakness, you for the sake of your pride and him to keep people like me and the other's from worrying. You are both as loyal as they come to both your village and the people you are to protect, and while you may deny it you are both very socially awkward at times."

With each statement that was said, Yugito couldn't help but feel like she was being drilled by one of her old instructors from her time as a child. The way she was pointing everything out to her like it was the most obvious thing in the world…_bothered_ her in a way that she wasn't used to. She could be blunt, she could sometimes be a damn kill-joy at times, but being on the receiving end was not really her game. She'd rather give it than receive it, and she was just now realizing what it was like to be on the receiving end for a change.

It was decided then: she _**really **_didn't like being on the receiving end.

"To top it all off, you live in the same apartment, share the same food, space, time together, even the same room." It was also decided then by the blond that she would later kick the ever-living crap out of Naruto for telling people that little bit of knowledge. "So, with all that being said, do you really think it's wrong to admit that you have good traits? Is it really that bad to have someone appreciate you just being there for him when, before you showed up, nobody ever was?"

"N-not at all." Damn, now she was really losing her composure. Yugito absolutely did not _**ever **_fucking stammer out a response. Not even by the howls of the Raikage did she even so much as flinch. If she fucked up on a mission, she gave no excuses and presented herself professionally, not as some punk ass who was intimidated by the hulking form of their village leader. But now, here she was _stammering,_ of all things, about something so….trivial as feeling appreciated by her caretaker. But, even with all that mental abuse she was putting herself through for acting out of her norm, Yugito could not for the life of her turn her gaze away from the her hands which were now placed on her lap. "I'm aware that I spend a good portion of time with him, but I merely assumed he just-"

"Just doing it because it's his duty?" Finished Sakura, though unknowingly annoying the blonde with yet another interruption; even though it was pretty much what she was going to say in the first place. "I can't remember a time that Naruto hasn't managed to befriend someone during the course of a mission. And by the looks of it, he has already accomplished that a long time ago with you. The question on my mind though is if you feel something more than just-"

"Don't be absurd." Snapped the woman fiercely, her gaze becoming more intense as she bore holes in the Chuunin's own startled orbs before calming herself. She didn't mean to lash out in such a way, really she didn't, but making implications such as the one's she was would not be tolerated. She liked Naruto, liked the way he was, liked what he stood for, what he fought for, his thoughtfulness, his trust, his company, but she was not by any means attempting to try and be anything more than a dear friend. Knowledge of her stay in Konoha was only temporary, she did not wish to go any further than that. Whether or not she held any romantic interest in him did not matter, all that mattered was that she did not end up hurting him anymore than she knew she unintentionally would when she departed from here. The kiss she had given him not long ago was not out of romantic interest, just a reward that she felt he earned and never received; nothing more or less than that.

At least, that was what she told herself then; now that Sakura had made the implications even she was starting to think that maybe that wasn't the only reason behind it.

"I think I've taken up enough of your time, Sakura-san." Muttered the woman before abruptly rising out of the chair she had been seated in. "I enjoyed our time together, but I must be going."

And she made good on her word, making a bee-line for the door leading out of the girl's room and, soon after, out of this home. No part of this was Sakura's fault, not her sudden desire to depart or the desire to be alone with her thoughts. She was letting her emotions run rampant and it was hampering on her composer considerably. Honestly, she wasn't sure if it was peaceful atmosphere that Konoha presented or Naruto's influence that was making her lose her original professionalism, but whatever the case was it needed to be dealt with soon. Otherwise, she didn't know how different she would be upon her eventual return to Kumo once things had finally been settled.

"Yugito-san." She didn't know what influenced her to cease all action upon hearing Sakura's call, but whatever it was she heeded it and turned to face the young woman, who was now standing at the top of the stairs looking down at her. She didn't realize when she had gotten this far, nor realized how brisk her movements had been, but that was a thought for a later time. When she had caught the emerald gaze of the pink haired girl, something compelled her to stop all thoughts and hear out whatever it was that Sakura had to say. Said girl merely smiled down at her from where she stood, before letting out the words she felt needed to be said. "Take care of him; he needs you around more than you know."

And just like that, Sakura gave the woman a small bow before turning away from the staircase and back to her room; leaving a rather troubled Kumo Kunoichi to reflect on the girl's words for the remainder of the day.

* * *

And there you have it, the second chapter of Three Strings of a Shamisen. Believe it or not, I did do _some _research on Kumo and they are primarily focused in military strength, more so than Konoha, so this is my interpitation of how their shinobi act. Also, as some will take note, Yugito does seem different in this chapter and if something needs to be said about that, I'll explain it as simply as possible. Yugito with Naruto equalls causal interaction, Yugito with everyone else equalls a more professional persona. If you still don't get it, than I'll leave it to you to figure out for yourself, but I'm sure everyone gets the reasoning so my worries might as well be naught.

So, feedback would be nice and I know people are reading this if the 1,153 Views, 23 Favorites, and 15 Followers to this story gets is of any indicator. So yeah, about that empty box at the bottom of the screen.

You knoooow, the one you write something in?

The box that says "Type your review here".

Yeah, you know the one I'm talking about.

Mhm, that one: **Click It.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Wheeew_, what great feed-back people!

Seriously, thanks you everyone who reviewed and to everyone else who took the time to read this story. I admit, I wasn't expecting too much of a reaction from brining out a second chapter, but I guess people over-looked this because it was 'just a one-shot' at first. Originally, it was, but I've grown to like what I'm doing here now and it warms my heart a little bit to know that everyone else enjoys this as well. Anyway, still no beta-reader but I think I'll be alright; just let me know if you see something I've missed and I'll make the neccessary adjustments.

Now, enough talk, time for the good stuff. I present to you chapter three of Three Strings of a Shamisen!

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**I don't own Naruto: If I did, Yugito would still be alive and fornicating with Naruto by now...**

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Home; what was a home?

Was a home a place that had a roof above your head, a place where you slept, ate, and relaxed? Well, in many ways, yes that was precisely how many would associate the word. There was never any real reason to put forth more thought on the matter of that word, no reason to ponder the deeper meaning behind the term. To the majority, the term was used loosely and widely to a point that some could call several different locations their 'home away from home'. Of course, there was the minority that didn't classify a mere building as 'their home'; rather they are referring to the deeper meaning behind the term attest to the majority. The shinobi of Konoha did this frequently, along with any other shinobi village for that matter, and it is understandable with all things being considered. Shinobi are often away from their respected villages, performing tasks from both within and beyond the borders of their nations; some of the less fortunate are gone for exceedingly long portions of time. Weeks, months, sometimes even years, and as that time passes the place they refer to as 'home' is not directly referring to something as simple as a household. They missed the people that they left behind, the friends that they may or may not ever see again, the old lady who gave them a discount at her stall for being such a good customer, even their respected spouses or lovers. To a shinobi, home was not a household, but their village, their country; that was what they viewed as home and understood the symbolic message which a home represented.

Home was where the heart lies and the people who make it worth going back to.

To that end, Naruto missed the home of his own that he just recently began to cherish; that old ass apartment complex that he now wished more than ever to go back to.

It hadn't been long after Team 7's latest mission to retrieve Sasuke that Kakashi proposed to him the means to grow stronger. Supposedly, the training was a means for him to surpass his own sensei in terms of power, something which both surprised and excited him at the same time. Though, the training that he was undertaking now was not been exactly what he had expected to receive, but he couldn't deny that the results were there. _Kage Bunshin_ now had a more meaningful purpose than he had ever believed possible, though given its high ranking it was understandable, as he would gain both whatever knowledge his clone's had gathered along with some useful experience from it as well. Though, this meant that certain sensations could also be felt in the process of this, it was still a nice trick to a technique he had been using for the majority of his shinobi career; one which he planned to further exploit in the future. In addition to gaining this new awareness about his clone's unique trait, he was also receiving the means to learn about element control; something he was honestly looking forward to doing after seeing all the sweet Futton-based techniques that Temari had used in the past. Mind you, even with all this new information and the _Kage Bunshin _helping him with the element control training, the shit was still difficult to do.

The first portion of the training had sucked, having noted that one of his clones had cut a leaf further than he –the original– could was downright insulting. Still, the ever zealous blonde continued without abandon until, within the same week that this training began, he could cut through the leaf without any effort at all. His feeling of accomplishment was soon after tarnished to pieces when his sensei explained to him the second portion of the training; which had left him a gawking mess for a few seconds upon hearing, and witnessing, what he would be forced to cut with nothing but his wind chakra. Even as he performed the instruction, he couldn't believe that he was even attempting to do this; frankly he wouldn't have believed it to be possible had anyone else had told him. But Kakashi was his sensei, and despite all his quirks and habits Naruto knew better than to believe that his sensei would demand the impossible from him; unless it involved him eating less ramen and more fruits and vegetables. But, even with all that being said, how the fuck does one cut waterfall in half using just wind chakra!?

Yes, a fucking waterfall.

But don't think that he didn't try, oh lords he was, however this task was damn difficult to do. The falling water that was coming down from where he and his clones were positioned was practically freezing, drenching them all as they made a very poor but noticeable 'cut' in the water's surface yet not enough to stop the water's flow entirely. Yeah, even with several clones helping him perform this task, the process was not picking up speed anytime soon and was leaving him exhausted almost every day. And for him to openly admit that he was exhausted from training was a clear display of its difficulty. Though It was reasonable he supposed, as each Jounin had to at least have control over two elements to become one, but if things like this were to be expected from him to achieve another then there was going to be a problem. The benefits, however, would supposedly be worth all the effort; so it wasn't all fruitless.

Even still, with all this training, with all this effort he was putting into it to grow stronger, the nights he spent here were much less comforting than was growing used to back at the apartment. Between Kakashi and Yamato, there was very little to talk about, and he was far too tired to try and strike up a conversation with them most of the time anyway. But even if he had the energy talk, he could not find much to say to either of them, at least nothing of any real interest to him. It was during those nights, during those times when slumber eluded him, his mind would wonder back to that old apartment complex along with the woman who he had left there alone. That part was something that was honestly eating away at him more than he realized, having found himself thinking about it instead of concentrating on the impossible task of cutting a damn waterfall. The funny thing about it all was that he had no idea why his thoughts were lingering around that particular place and person. In the beginning, all he was thinking about was Sasuke, becoming stronger to bring him back, but now those thoughts had died away slightly and had been centered more on the person he was supposed to be taking care of.

Was he guilty about leaving her alone? Possibly, considering he had just up and left the apartment without so much as saying goodbye. To be frank, that thought alone made him feel terrible, almost sick to his stomach now, at how casually he tossed aside Yugito in favor of his own goals. There was no rationalizing that, no justification for it, he just left and didn't come back; he abandoned her and now it was just tearing him apart bit by bit. Of course, he knew she was in good hands; Tsunade had assured him that she would be before he and Kakashi had set out to this barren area to train undisturbed. But, upon reflection, being in 'good hands' didn't precisely translate to 'having company' whilst he was away doing this. He had stayed behind with her countless times, denying countless invitations to be with his peers, so that she wouldn't be left alone in the apartment. Yet, the very second he's offered training to grow stronger he didn't even hesitate for a second to begin. Thoughts, such as those, made him think that he and Sasuke must not have been so different in that moment; for Sasuke had done the exact same thing to the entire village.

Did that make him a hypocrite then? In doing this training, was he doing exactly what Sasuke had done to achieve strength? If so, then maybe for he was a hypocrite for going after him, for trying to stop his friend from gaining the strength he needed to achieve his goals.

"Naruto!"

Said blond's startled jump all but ruined his concentration; thus making the still semi-shallow cut he had created to vanish and the water fall freely without being hindered in the slightest. Sapphire orbs shifted towards the man below, who's single visible eye was staring up at him with the same dull expression that seemed to always be present. He took note of the fact that the man had let out a sigh due to the shifting of his head and the brief rise and fall of his chest-area; his head gazing at the ground one of his hands raised to signal him to cease his activities. Seeing that, Naruto's shoulder's sagged downwards slightly before wordlessly dispelling his clones; feeling his own disappointment wash over him like the very water's behind him. That was a sign for him to take a break, and it was a rather needed one if Naruto had to say himself. With a simple leap off the platform Yamato created for him and his clones, he found himself standing in front of his sensei, his disappointment being masked by sheepishness as he grinned back at his sensei whilst scratching the back of his head.

"What's up sensei?" Responded the blonde, grin still firmly in place as he made his inquiry. "We takin' a break or something?"

In response to this question, Kakashi merely gazed at the boy with the same leveled look he usually gave to his students when they had done something foolish; which was a look Naruto was all too familiar with. In response to seeing that look, Naruto couldn't help but avert his gaze elsewhere, mainly towards Yamato who was looking at him just as flatly as Kakashi was. Despite this, he did well to save face by shifting himself from sheepish to curious, eyes going from sensei to sensei. Though, in retrospect, it was pointless to even make an attempt at hiding his true thoughts from either of these men and expect it to not be brought to life at some point. That was what they did best, they were supposed to be capable of noticing things like these; having the skills and knowledge to know when someone was putting up a front to mask something that they didn't feel the need to share. That wasn't to say that they didn't respect his privacy, often times they actually did leave him alone when it came to him dealing with his problems and only interfering when they deemed it necessary. But, with how he had been acting lately, he wouldn't be surprised if they acted on that since his thoughts were hindering his concentration.

Despite how long the silence had felt to him, it really wasn't that long at all before Kakashi's posture returned to its normal negligent state.

"Well, it is mid-day, and we haven't been back to the village in a good while." Spoke the man, his right hand reaching into his pouch to retrieve his favorite choice in literature. "I suppose a good day's worth of rest wouldn't hurt too much."

"A day!" By the sound of it, you would have thought that Naruto had been excited by the news; which was actually far from the truth of the matter. "But, sensei, I can still keep going! I just need a few hours and when we get back I'll be able to cut that waterfall in half in seconds!"

"Yeah, yeah," Was the retort the lazy Jounin chose to respond with; back already turned and heading towards the village. "You can cut it tomorrow, you just need to relax a bit; this is pretty advanced training you know. Tiring yourself out day-after-day isn't gonna get us results any faster than it would if you took a day off."

"He has a point, Naruto." Spoke Yamato, clapping a hand onto the boy's shoulder, though the look of reassurance the man was giving him did help the lad's mood from becoming too sullen. "We're already rushing this by having you use your clones; the last thing we need is for you to be distracted."

"But I'm not distracted!" A blatant lie, and one that caused Yamato to stare back at him, he reassuring gaze now replaced with a more knowing expression; something which made Naruto glare defiantly back at him for. Even if it was true that his mind was elsewhere, it didn't mean he couldn't shake it off and concentrate on the matter at hand. He could, would if he had to, for the sake of the matter at hand. This wasn't, after-all, the first time he had done this; pushing away his troubled thoughts for the sake of training had been something that he could do quite easily if the motivation was great enough. Becoming stronger was motivating enough, so he could cast away his troubles for this, no problem at all.

Unfortunately, neither of his sensei's believed that, something which honestly annoyed him to a degree.

"Listen, Naruto, I know you don't like it but this is something that we need you on board the entire way through." Though he spoke in a tone of reassurance, his expression did not match it in the slightest. "Take the day off, clear your head a little bit, and I am fairly certain that your claims at completing this task will be more credible then than they are now."

With that said, and disreguarding any further complaints that the blonde made, he too followed after Kakashi; leaving Naruto to stare at the ground below his feet. He didn't move for a moment, both hands clenched tightly by his sides as he stood rigid in both frustration and anguish. He hated this crap, hated how he couldn't keep himself focused on this task, this downright impossible training that he was going through along with the thoughts that were swimming around in his mind. There should have been no room for any other conceivable thought aside from the task at hand, nothing should be breaking his focus like this, but there was. That fact alone was part that frustrated him, while another veered down a different road. It was disappointment; disappointment in himself for this, letting his thoughts run rampant and costing both himself and both his sensei's the time that they really didn't have to spare. They said they were rushing it as it was, that it was only luck that Naruto had clones that could assist him in this exercise; otherwise it would have been impossible to achieve what he had thus far in in less than a few weeks. He could believe that, he honestly could believe that given how difficult the leaf cutting alone was to accomplish even with clones. But he had done the impossible a number of times, hell him learning and becoming capable of utilizing the Rasengan in a single month was proof in itself that he was capable of making the impossible possible.

But, with all that had transpired since his last mission, he was starting to think that his streak of good luck was reaching the end of its course.

...some time to clear his head, huh?

That was a nice sentiment, one he was willing to do now that it was clear objections were not going to get him anywhere. He could train by himself, continue with it anyway despite Kakashi and Yamato's advice, but that wouldn't help much. Some time back home would definitely help him regain that drive he had before; along with a not-so-few bowls of ramen to fill himself up with. The thought of his most cherished and loved sustenance caused his stomach to growl loud enough for the blonde to hear quite clearly. With that, the blonde's expression lightened noticeably, the once clenched hands soon relaxed, and the small grin that usually adored his features returned back to life as he jogged over towards his clothes to get redressed.

One day couldn't hurt right?

* * *

Why was she here?

Seriously, what in god's name was Yugito doing in this place?

This was not, and would not, be the first nor last time that the woman asked herself this question as she sat on the stool, both elbows propped onto the counter whilst one of her hands fiddled with the chop-sticks that had yet to be broken apart. Across from her, the back of a single chief and owner of the stall stood, his attention being completely focused on the task in front of him as he worked. Aside from herself, no other patrons occupied the stools on either side of herself, leaving only her and the chief present here. That fact alone, oddly enough, bothered her a bit at first since she had yet to venture into this stall without the presence of a whisker-faced blonde by her side. But, as her order was made and the man prepared it, she had long passed the unease that was felt at first and her demeanor shifted into a rather disinterested state. Teuchi, she recalled his name being, had tried to conduct a conversation with her as she waited patiently for her meal, but she lacked the desire to truly pursue it and thus, settled into a somewhat tense silence between the two.

It was nothing personal to the man, as she had found him and his daughter to be rather kindhearted individuals, but it just didn't feel right to associate herself with them when the person they really held interest towards was her caretaker. That much, however, was common knowledge since Naruto did spend a majority of the time here rather than anywhere else. She supposed that this place was sacred to him, or it was the fact that it served his preferred choice of nourishment; if one could call it that. Still, maybe there was a deeper meaning to this place than just that, but she didn't really feel the need to try and delve into that matter. If there was one at all, then he would more than likely tell her at some point in time if she ever bothered to ask him about it. Either way, in spite of the young man's absence, she really couldn't tell what was so great about this place, as nothing really stuck out much. The ramen was good, that much she would admit, but she wouldn't go as far as committing to frequent visits to the establishment every day of the week. The stall was simple, nothing fancy about it, no real décor but that was to be expected given the place's size. The prices were reasonable, so that was another possible reason as to why Naruto would come here so often, but she suspected there was more to it than that. Aside from that and the decent meal, the only real reason she assumed that the place ran so well was due in part largely because of the chief's daughter; Ayame.

A cute thing the girl was, eye-candy for the males and gossip sharing with the females if she had to suspect.

But none of that really mattered all that much at this point. As it was, Yugito was still pondering the reason as to why she was here in the first place. She had no reason to be here, having long since given up asking the man if Naruto had ever made an appearance here after several attempts yielding in a negative response. Teuchi had stated during her last visit that, should her caretaker show up, he would inform Naruto that she was looking for him. It was another trait which Yugito had come to silently take a liking to, for he seemed like an honest man along with a seemingly good memory. She had no doubts that he would keep his word, or at least inform her if he had shown up, but that still didn't answer the question as to why she was here. She wasn't all that hungry to begin with, she had food at the apartment after doing her own grocery shopping a few days ago, and the possibilities of her blonde friend showing up here was slim.

So, with all that being said, what was her purpose of being here today?

She still didn't know, nor did she understand why her mind was still wrapped around Naruto as of late. Sure, she had been worried about his emotional state since he had left to train, but her trouble's had been put to rest when she finally ask the Hokage personally in regards to the matter. She wasn't told much, which she could understand, but was assured that Naruto was fine. Yugito could have argued that statement if she desired, but if anyone was able to make an assessment out of someone's well-being, it was Tsunade. If she were to be brutally honest, the Slug Sannin was someone that made her feel inconceivably tiny in comparison to in terms of observation and interpretation skills. That, however, heavily depended on the woman's mood and how much she hadn't drank that day, having been aware of the woman's drinking addiction by a certain blonde who couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Upon reflection of their first meeting, both with Tsunade and her caretaker, Yugito couldn't help the light smirk from forming on her lips whilst her hand ceased fiddling with the chopsticks.

"A good memory I suppose?" Spoke Teuchi suddenly as he placed her order down in front of young woman, startling her somewhat whilst also erecting a questionable gaze. Said man merely smiled back in response, ever-squinted eyes never opening but somehow showing his own amusement before turning away and tending back to his duties in the kitchen.

Dark sphere's glanced down at the bowl in front of her as he departed, taking note of the fried shrimp and numerous vegetables that it held within it. Looking at it, however, did not raise her desire for any sustenance at the moment; which brought her back to the question as to her purpose here. As stated before, she wasn't hungry, she wasn't overly fond of the place in general, and she was alone. What point was there in coming here, what kind of mindset was she in that made her subconsciously come to this stall? Of course, she could ask herself this question numerous times and still end up getting nowhere anytime soon, thus she let out a sigh as she broke apart the chop-sticks. While she indeed wasn't hungry, she could at least get her money's worth out of it and indulge herself on something; at least now she would be sated for a few hours and not have to worry about cooking tonight.

"Yo, old man!" Not even a moment after she brought the noodles up from the bowl, a sudden and very familiar shout caused all thoughts to vanish for the time being. "One miso ramen please!"

Sad thing was, the individual in question wasn't even within the stall when he made this announcement to the owner. Yet, even though his back was to the entrance, Yugito could tell from his posture that he became livelier than he was moments ago; along with the fact that he had instantly began preparing the order specified without missing a beat. But this was all something that was noted off-hand, not particularly something that the woman spent longer than a second in noticing before brushing it aside to turn around and face the person whom she hadn't seen in several weeks. Said individual, upon parting the curtains that covered the entrance to the stall, was practically beaming with excitement as he entered; eyes squinted shut and chuckling to himself at the thought of treating himself to his favorite meal of all time. The expression, however, was quick to adjust itself upon hearing the creak of a nearby stool, which told him that someone else was here; something that wasn't surprising to him. At least it wasn't to him until he opened his eyes and took note of exactly who the person was; something which was surprising.

"Yugito-chan?" It was amazing at how quickly his emotions changed from carefree to astonishment in less than a few seconds. His puzzled face, added to the consecutive amount of times he blinked in that short moment, only added to his innocence. It also showed how slow he was at registering the fact that the woman who had been troubling his mind was the first person he met up with since he came back today. Once the surprise died away, though, he was quick to replace the puzzled expression in favor of a more energetic one, one that showed by the grin that was usually present when in the company of someone precious to him. "Hey, this is great, don't have to go looking for yah now and I get a bite to eat!"

Indeed, for that had been one of the thoughts that had Naruto worried for a moment. Sure, the possibility of Yugito being at home, like normal, was pretty high, but there were other factors which had to be taken into account as well. Since he wasn't home, that left her by herself; which tended to be pretty dull considering there was very little to do in that place aside from watching TV. Since she really wasn't into doing that though, he would have to guess that she would either be out training by herself, or paying Kirabi a visit to see how he was doing. The familiar face would have been something good for her during this time honestly, having very little interaction with the people he was friends with, so that meant that she wouldn't likely be hanging out around them if he wasn't around. He wasn't sure of the reason behind that, still wasn't truthfully, but he didn't really bother to ask and she never really said anything about it so he just left that matter alone for the time being.

But her presence here at Ichiraku's did serve as a good sign to him. It solved his hunger problem and made him able to find the person he was supposed to be taking care of.

Win!

Unfortunately, Yugito didn't appear as pleased with his presence as he would have expected. Mind you, she was glad to finally see him after several weeks, but it did miff her significantly that, instead of dealing with the most important task of returning home, he had chosen to come here of all places instead. Clearly, nourishment was his top priority here; not her. This explained the rather aggravated glare she had sent in his direction from where she sat, eyes narrowed and her leg crossed over her knee as she stared at him. The only movement that she had actively made was the consistent tapping of her finger on the countertop, the tempo and force being applied steadily increasing as she continued to glare at the fellow blonde. The worst part about it though, was that Yugito wasn't completely aware of the fact that the tip of her finger was beginning to create a rather audible thumping sound each time her finger-tip touched down on the wood, thus causing her blonde caretaker to take note of it; and in that also taking note of her now apparent anger.

"Um…Yugito-chan?"

One final 'thump' of her finger, and the action had ceased entirely. This, however, did not stop her from glaring at the blonde who was being subjected to her frustration. It was here that Naruto knew that, for reasons he could assume were accurate, that she was upset with him. Incidentally, Teuchi himself had chosen to cease cooking for the time being and wisely, yet conveniently enough, stepped out from the kitchen and into the back of the stall. His only parting words, which were largely unheard by both parties, was that he was 're-stocking some things real quick'. It was an obvious lie, but neither party remotely cared enough considering one was severely temperamental at the moment and the other was just waiting for the inevitable. He himself was smart enough to know when an argument was about to happen, and the last thing he wanted was to be around when the fireworks went off.

Indeed, a rather smart man he was.

Sadly enough, Naruto wasn't as smart.

"Where have you been?" No greeting in response to Naruto's, only the same blunt professionalism in which she was infamous for. Her gaze was as sharp as any known blade to man, yet her tone portrayed only the slightest amount of her actual anger. It was a task in itself that she was able to even maintain her persona with the amount of sudden and unexplainable anger had come from, but she managed. She really wasn't even sure why she was as upset as she was now, though she didn't dwell on it for long since the object of her frustration was here in front of her. Under normal circumstances, she would be more lenient in regards to this matter; this was _his _home and he did have other duties aside from her to address. Training needed to be applied, knowledge needed to be gained, experience needed to be gathered, those were all common factors that every shinobi was required to undertake in order to be really successful in this line of work. Despite how he seemed, despite the oddity that was Naruto, he was by no means an exception to this rule. If he needed to train, need to grow stronger, than she could understand that; she didn't really have any say in the matter really.

So why was she so upset, why so frustrated with his sudden appearance here now of all times?

Yugito didn't have an answer then, nor did she care to seek one out at the moment.

All that mattered was that Naruto was here now, and she wanted some god-damn answers.

With the atmosphere as tense as it was, it wouldn't surprise anyone that Naruto was silent for a few moments after being addressed. This silence, that dreadful silence that he had grown to despise, was broken by the sound of his rather sheepish chuckles whilst raising a single hand to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. There was very little to say really, having not expected her response to his sudden return to be so..._aggressive_; even if a part of him should have expected as much. He did just leave her without saying a word, no knowledge as to where he was going or what he was doing, and then he just showed back up and expected a warm welcome? Yeah, he should have known that the possibility of that happening was almost as possible as his chances to win a date with Sakura; a thought which only served to dampen his mood further. Nevertheless, Naruto continued to try and keep face by giving the woman a dejected grin, his hand still rubbing the back of his neck; though the process had become noticeably more aggressively than a few seconds ago.

"The outskirts of the village." Was the honest to god answer he chose to respond with, which was possibly the only thing keeping the woman from kicking the crap out of him or worse. He had learned a long time ago that just spilling the truth was much easier when it concerned the opposite sex. It hardly worked when he applied it with Sakura, but Yugito wasn't prone to knocking him upside the head for anything stupid he may say or act on. He wasn't positive about if that would remain true at the end of this conversation, frankly he was expecting several blows to the head along with several areas of his face, but he could at least hope for the best. "The training I'm doing is actually kinda hard stuff and I needed to keep myself from being distracted. At least, that's what Kakashi-sensei had told me when I asked him."

In spite of his honesty, Naruto had yet to look directly back at the woman who had proposed the question. He was too busy staring at anything _but _her in that moment; having been on the offending first of Sakura too many times in the past. Looking at the person directly, even if he was honest, hardly did him any justice in the past; so the possibility of it working for him now was not likely. This, however, couldn't have been any less true, but that knowledge was not known to him, given his treatment growing up. Regardless, his refusal to face her directly only served to raise Yugito's ire, even if the grounds for that anger were misguided. She believed him on the grounds that he was training, as it had been confirmed by Sakura when she had met with her last, but that wasn't exactly the reason for her apparent anger. There was something else at work that troubled her, something more which was driving her to be so irked at this young man before her. Problem was, she couldn't bring herself to seek out the motive behind that apparent anger. Even if she had, the result would have yielded no legitimate results.

"Is that so?" Responded the woman, calm and clipped as she typically was prone to appearing when in the face of someone she was unfamiliar with. This, of course, only served as a reminder to Naruto that the woman he had come to know and cherish was appearing to act like the one he had met nearly four months ago. He didn't like that woman, he could tolerate her to an extent, but he wasn't fond of the old Yugito in the slightest degree. She had been a bitch, a person he wished to avoid at any cost, and nearly go demanding to the Hokage to release her from his care so as not to even associate himself with her any longer. The change in persona had been a welcome one, and in time he had grown to truly enjoy the 'new' Yugito that had taken up residence in his home. Sure, they had their arguments every now and again, mainly about food and her displeasure of consistently eating ramen, but those were all petty arguments that were resolved quickly. With Yugito now acting the way she was now, though, he couldn't help but berate himself more for just leaving her without saying anything."Does your _unexpected _return signify that your training is completed?"

Even he didn't miss the way she had emphasized the term 'unexpected' as much as she could in that sentence.

Dejected and gazing anywhere but at the woman in front of him, he made his advancement towards the stool nearest the blonde, though not directly beside her for obvious reasons, whilst a muted sigh escaped his lips. A few moments later, he found himself seated to the woman's right with a seat separating the two of them whilst he took to staring at the counter vacantly. Even if he wasn't looking directly at her, he could feel that she had him pinned to her sights the entire time. This statement wasn't false in any way, for she indeed had her vision fixed onto his form the entire time. Fact was, during the course of those few moments, only her hand had moved; from laying lifelessly on the countertop to being used to keep her head propped up.

"They said I needed to clear my head." Answered the fellow blonde, his hand reaching out and taking a set of chop-sticks for the sake of keeping himself distracted. "So they gave me a day-long break to relax a bit. Kinda pissed about it, but at the same time I'm also pretty glad for it I guess."

It was here that Naruto ceased fiddling with the jointed chop-sticks, a crestfallen smile making itself apparent to Yugito to take note of. Also, at this point, Naruto finally took the moment to glance over at the said woman; her expression still appearing fairly displeased with him. He deserved it; he knew he did, if the slight dimming of his eyes wasn't of any indicator. And even if the woman wouldn't openly admit at the present time, she could see that he was still lacking the spark that made those sphere's shine brightly whenever she peered into them. They were the same way they had been upon his return from the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke.

It did, however, still her desire to speak out any further and listen to what it was Naruto had to say; if he in fact did have something more to say.

"I had been thinking about what I've been doing, you know?" Continued the young man, his head leaning back until he was facing the ceiling. "Getting stronger was the goal, be better than I was last time, so when I saw Sasuke again maybe I could finally bring him home like I wanted." There was a pause here, in which a bitter chuckle escaped from his lips as he continued to gaze vacantly up at the ceiling. "But I started thinking about something that I did, something I've been beating myself up about for a while now, something that was like what Sasuke did."

"You left without a second thought." It wasn't Naruto who said this, but the blonde on the opposite side of him. This yielded the spiky blonde's complete attention as Yugito continued to gaze at his form, though her glare was slightly less piercing than before. "Your teammate did the same, did he not? Left without telling anyone, no goodbyes, nothing, and you felt responsible because you couldn't bring him back."

The perplexed look that Naruto's face contorted into spoke louder than words about his confusion of how she gained that knowledge; so she decided to answer the unspoken inquiry. "Sakura-san told me all about it, at least her perception of it all."

Just as quickly as the puzzled expression appeared it was replaced with understanding before returning back to facing the ceiling. In a small part in the back of his mind, he was glad that his friend had spoken to Sakura at all, not so much for the sake of gaining that knowledge about Sasuke. He had to wonder what brought about her sudden interest in his lost teammate, but disregarded it for the sake of the matter at hand.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Admittedly, what he was about to state was more difficult to say than he originally thought. Well, okay, it wasn't so much the difficulty of the matter as opposed to how embarrassing it sounded for him to openly state. Thinking about it was easy, planning out how to say it wasn't as easy, but doable after consistently testing it out in his mind. Doing it, out loud, in person, while looking dead at her, however, was fucking hard. So, like most instances where he was forced to stare into the face of adversity, Naruto did what he did best; dove in head first and hoped for the best.

Fuck planning things out, screw the wasted brain cells on a precise method to approach this statement.

Uzumaki Naruto relied on his gut for just about everything; and situations like these were of no exception.

And right now, the said boy's gut was telling him to just fucking tell it how it was.

Like a fucking man.

"I was thinking about how I left you behind." Was the statement which had finally been blurted from the young man's lips. "At first I didn't think much about it. I wanted to get stronger as quickly as I could to bring Sasuke back, to keep my promise. But, after a while, I started thinking about it, thinking about how I just left you here and didn't say anything about what I was doing or where I was going; I just…_left_. But…" Not once in the entire course in which he was speaking did he look over at the woman. Either too embarrassed to do so, or too enthralled by his own musings could be anyone's guess; though most people would wager on the former rather than the latter. "...after a while I started to think that, if I did that to you, am I really any different from Sasuke when he–"

"Stop." The tone behind this simple statement was enough to just that; cease any and every statement that was or was not about from being spoken. It also caused Naruto to finally turn and face the woman, taking note of the slight reddish hue that had tinted the woman's cheeks; even if her expression had changed very little. It still showed, at least in his eyes, that the Yugito he had come to care about as a friend was not completely buried at the moment. "I'm only going to say this once, and I will not repeat myself, so listen closely."

His head could not have nodded fast enough in response to that statement.

"_You_ remained loyal to Konoha, your friends and comrades, despite the fact that you had every right to abandon them from the very beginning if you were so inclined to do so. _**You**_ have long since proven yourself to everyone who harbored thoughts that you would never achieve success in your career. The strength you have attained, from the very beginning to where you stand now, are all a result of your loyalty to this place and the people in which you swore to protect. The Uchiha, however, could not achieve that here, not due to lack of skill or proper training, but because he lacked the one thing that you have an abundance of; tenacity."

At this point, she had all but removed herself from her previous seat in favor of taking the stool that was originally vacant beside the young man in question. If only for the sake of insuring that he would not avert his gaze away from her. Her tone, though still sharp as any blade known to man, wasn't being used with the intent of undermining the lad, but to encourage him; a pep-talk if you will. But that wasn't the only purpose of the words in which she was speaking, for there was an ulterior motive behind this. It was her attempt to hopefully get through to the boy that this man-hunt for the Uchiha was not worth the grief he had been silently suffering from. He needed to get away from this; he needed a reason aside from the traitor to better himself, to improve, to grow not just as a shinobi but as an adult. After all, the hardest part of holding onto the past was letting go of it in the first place. It was fine to have a goal to inspire one to improve themselves; but it wasn't if the same thing that was driving you forward was slowly tearing you apart in the process.

"_He_ had the means to improve, but lacked the tenacity to allow himself to grow at the pace his development allowed. He was a Genin like yourself yet, from what I can assume, he was intimidated by your rapid development. He couldn't accept that there are people in this world who can overcome their own limitations and surpass other's much faster than everyone else. It's a fact of life, it happens, but he could not accept that and thus he chose to leave. Yes, he is stronger now, yes you failed once again, and yes you disregarded your duties as my caretaker to pursue your own ambitions. But do not consider abandoning me the same as abandoning your home; as you are still here and the traitor is not. That is the difference between the two of you, and it is through these hardships that you endure which will make you stronger in the time to come."

Neither Naruto nor Yugito were aware as to when the woman's hand hand found itself positioned atop of his own, but neither had really cared to notice. It had been a subconscious reaction to show reassurance, to assist the former that her words were meant to help, regardless of how brutal the truth behind her words really was. She knew he disliked the way people would tarnish his friend's name, disliked it when people lost faith that the Uchiha would ever see the error of his ways and come back home. But a true friend wouldn't lie to him, wouldn't tell that it was okay to keep making the same mistake over and over again. Eventually, he would be forced to realize that everything would not always play out the way he so desperately wished they would. And if she was to be the friend which Naruto viewed her as, how she viewed _herself _as, then it was high-time she started acting like it.

As for Naruto, well, let's just say that her words had hit home; though not precisely in the direction Yugito was aiming at.

She was right though, that much she had made clear to him. He wasn't like Sasuke in leaving her here; all because he came back. If anything, it had given him some insight on how Sasuke felt in regards to his thoughts prior to leaving in the first place. Oh, he knew that Sasuke had his own goals, his own ambition in which he wished to achieve in the future. The confrontation between him and Itachi all those years ago was still fresh in his mind to this day. Even if he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he had been smart enough to know that Itachi was the person he was aiming to kill; for this much was made clear all those years ago. But, even if that was his goal, even if he left his home to seek out the means to grow strong enough to face that man, there wasn't a doubt in his mind now that there must have been some form of guilt that had stuck with him that day. If he really didn't feel anything back then, if he truly had turned his back on everything without the slightest bit of guilt, than why was Sakura still alive? Why was _he_ still alive?

The confrontation not long ago, however, showed that he had long since gotten over whatever guilt he may have harbored and embraced his choice. That had been the underlining reason for his troubles; for if he could just leave behind a friend like Yugito, what extent would he go to become strong? But now, his doubts and worries seemed for naught after hearing the woman's words. He admitted to leaving her, admitted that he was pursuing his own goals, but that did not mean he was abandoning his home, his friends, his sensei's, or anyone else. Because he knew that doing all of this was not just for bringing back his friend, not just to make himself stronger, but also to protect the people of his home. That was the real thing he should be doing this for, not just for Sasuke or himself, and that was a thought that seemed to cure his depression. This was proven when his usual grin forced itself back on his features, whilst feeling immensely grateful to having the fellow blonde beside him as a friend.

"Thanks Yugito-chan."

The atmosphere, however, did not shift into a more contented one as most people would have thought. Rather, the moment those words were spoken; Naruto's grin was torn off his face and substituted with one of pain. The holler that escaped his lips was loud enough to alert those around the stall as pain surged up from the hand which Yugito was gripping; gripping a little _too _tightly. He was positive that a bone or two in his hand was beginning to crack with the amount of pressure that was being applied to it. And being too focused on trying to pry his hand desperately from the woman's grip, he did not notice that the woman was wearing a grave frown on her face with her gaze never once losing its sharpness. After several seconds of desperate attempts and even the usage of his other hand, Yugito finally released her hold on the fellow blonde. This, of course, caused the boy to fall backwards off the stool and onto the ground blow; nursing his poor hand and wrist. As for the woman in question, she had stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze peering down at him from over him.

"You forget that I'm still upset with you, Naruto." Reminded the woman, fierce eyes still looming down at him from her position and expression remaining unchanged. "I am not satisfied with this form of punishment for your abandonment; but it will suffice for now. Once your training is complete, however, expect much worse from me; that much I guarantee."

Without another word, the Kumo shinobi stepped out of the stall and out of the floored, no pun intended, blonde's line of vision. Of course, once she knew she was out of the young man's line of sight, the proud Jinchuuriki's expression shifted into a different one entirely. The dark spheres that were once sharp were now filled with a warmth that hadn't been shown the entire time she had been in the lad's presence. In addition to this, the small smirk that was now playing at her lips also added to displaying her more deeper emotions regarding the boy's return. Yes, she was upset with him still, but most of that anger that she had felt prior to his confession was now gone. What's more, she was merely bluffing in regards to her final statement to the boy, a joke just to give the blonde a little scare, and it had been damned effective. While she may not be nearly as sociable as some others, she had her moments where she could mess with people; in her own way of course.

Besides, if she really did want to hurt him, she would have done something much worse than just give his hand a little squeeze.

"YUGITO!"

Did I forget to mention she didn't pay for her nearly untouched meal?

Well, at least she got some amusement out of it; if her laughter was of any indication.

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Yes, this is the end of the chapter. In spite of the fact that I could have dragged this chapter out considerably longer, doing so was not something I wished to do. I had a quota, I met it, passed it, and knew I didn't want to go too far over that quota. Besides, the night-life between these two isn't something even I could drag out, and even if I tried I wouldn't want to bore you all with it. So any and all complaints regarding the cut-off point will be mind-numbingly noted and dumped into the vast empty space known as the back of my mind.

But I will say this much; music works wonders for righting these chapters. To those who actually read these things, you would be aware that the first chapter was heavily inspired by the song **The Way I Are**. The second chapter, well, I didn't really need any insperation considering my fingers moved on their own for that one. This one though, was largely inspired by another song; though I don't know how. This one was **Both of Us**: by B.O.B featuring Taylor Swift. Yeah, yeah, your thinking I have weird tastes but you know what? I give no fucks, I like it and it helped me get this chapter out; so suck it!

Kidding of course, but all jokes aside you should check it out.

And now we reach the part where your supposed to type something in that nice little text box at the bottom.

You know its there now, but I'm gonna keep doing this anyway to spite you.

Yeah, you know you wanna; so do it.

Go on, do it.

**Click it.**


	4. Chapter 4

Greetings everyone, nice to see people reviewing and giving me more feed-back. I'll be honest now, I still can't believe so many people are enjoying this so much; I personally didn't think I'd get much of a responce from everyone. But here I am, on chapter 4 of a story I did not believe would last very long. I guess I have you, the fan's, to thank for giving me the insperation to continue writing. Shout-outs to Tenro100, Digitize27, kurokamiDG, and everyone else who's been supporting me to this point. It aint far in the story, but I just felt the need to express my thanks to everyone for their feedback. Crap, now I'm starting to ramble, let's get started with the forth chapter of Three Strings of a Shamisen!

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**I don't own Naruto: If I did, Yugito would still be alive and fornicating with Naruto by now...**

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Mid-day was almost always the busiest of the routine cycles that came and went with the rise and fall of the sun. It didn't matter where the sun came up or what village one hailed from. It was just one of the factors that came with society and would never really change. Reasons were obvious enough not worth explaining, but it was not the time when shinobi are active when within the village. Some were catching up on much needed sleep, others were locked away in an office writing up reports, heading out to their next assignment. Most chose this time to train in solitude for the most part, as doing so during the evening hours tended to provoke a response from those near the area for domestic disturbances. That wasn't to say that training was discouraged during the night, it just limited the training that could be done without raising too much attention to themselves. With all that being said, it was clear that mid-day wasn't the time when shinobi were prone to being the most active, but instead the civilian populace that made up most of the activity during the day-light hours. Again, though, that wasn't to say shinobi were not active during this timeframe either, for the sight of Genin teams roaming about carrying out tasks was rather commonplace; merely the more...experienced shinobi were often absent during this time in the day.

Then you take into account those shinobi who were less active than normal; those who were military in civilian clothes and just taking the day off. Those were the second most abundant group in the shinobi criteria that were present during the day-light hours. Though, unless they directly knew the individual, the vast populace was largely be unaware of just how many of the men and women they meet are actually shinobi in plain sight. Fact was, it would surprise anyone just how many shinobi walk among them in their day-to-day lives with no-one being any wiser. Genin, Chuunin, Jounin, even ANBU officers; all of which walking among them as if they were no different from the average person. That was often the misconception that most civilians tended to believe when they regarded shinobi; some villages went as far as to call them monsters for how casually they can take the life of another. While such beliefs were understandable, it could not be further from the truth; as the men and women who served was in every way human as the next. Sure, you would find a rotten apple or two, but that didn't mean that the entire batch was.

Unfortunately, those who believed otherwise typically couldn't be swayed from their views.

Too bad those people didn't have the privilege to meet a certain blonde shinobi clad in orange.

In regards to said blonde, he was typically a person who indulged on being out in the day-light as any other youth would. Because of his status as a Genin, he was often forced to degrade himself to the mundane tasks of the villagers that were hardly worth a portion of his time. Even after all these years, he was still forced to perform those 'missions' that were nothing more than chores that common-folk didn't feel like doing themselves. It annoyed him, severely annoyed him to the point of voicing to the Hokage no less, that he had to perform these tasks; but with the Akatsuki business going on he was hardly seen doing them now-a-days. It became especially rare for him to be seen doing them since the arrival of Kumogakure's resident Jinchuuriki taking refuge within Konoha; having taken part in watching after one of the said shinobi. That had been nearly four months and fourteen days since Yugito had been put into his care, and it had been a real trip if he had to be honest with himself.

Even with her presence here, Naruto still took part in some missions; though these obviously had nothing to do with pulling weeds or chasing cats. No, he was a Genin out in the world taking down high profile criminals. That statement alone was almost laughable had it been said by anyone else; but to any shinobi who still remembered the feats which Naruto had performed the day Otogakure and Sunagakure attacked the village; you would find the room turn dead quiet without a soul laughing. Yes, they still remembered the defeat of Hyuuga Neji, a current Jounin and renowned prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, and they all still remember exactly who stopped the current Kazekage Gaara from wreaking havoc within the village that very same day. They remembered, they knew who –and by default _what_– Naruto really was, and all-so-suddenly the prospect of someone who could perform those two feats and many more since became significantly less foolish. The fact that the said Genin was largely responsible for the defeat and inevitable death of the Akatsuki member Kakuzu was proof enough that Naruto was not just some nameless Genin; but the strongest.

He just couldn't get a promotion to save his ass; that's all.

Although, such a victory had come with a price, a price nobody believed to be worth. You see, Naruto hadn't been the one to encounter the said Akatsuki member first, as that honor went to a team led by Sarutobi Asuma, and in that same incursion he lost his life. His life wasn't lost to Kakazu though, rather it was his partner who had made the killing blow and resulted in Nara Shikamaru, who was apart of the squad, to take a more active role in eliminating the both of them. Naruto himself wasn't aware of the details regarding the events that transpired prior to his and the rest of Team Seven's arrival, but when the question finally did rise as to what happened Shikamaru succeeded in actively scaring the crap out of him.

"I blew his ass up and buried what remained underground."

Those had been his exact words and it was then that Naruto made it a point from then on _**not **_to piss off Shikamaru.

Of course, that hadn't been the only price that had to be paid to assure the complete victory in that assignment. After tireless days and nights, Naruto finally completed the training that he was subjected to along with succeeding doing something that not even the Yondaime had failed to accomplish: applied his element into the Rasengan. In doing this, he proceeded to accomplish something even greater than that, which was creating his very own technique with this knowledge and thus make the Rasengan truly his. Of course, given the timeframe he had prior to being sent out to assist Team Eight had limited the amount of time needed to fully complete the technique he was creating, the results were still devastating if the massive creator that was left in its wake was any proof. One had to admit, for a technique that was still incomplete, it sure as hell showed that it was not something you wanted to be on the offending side of. Of course, as stated earlier, the price Naruto had paid was that his arm was temporarily unusable and was forced to not use it again until its completion. Normally he would argue that there was no point in making it if he couldn't use it in the first place, but the facts were glaringly obvious that even he was skeptical about doing it again with the amount of damage he sustained from his own technique.

Low and behold, even Naruto can submit to a valid point when it's obvious enough; but only when he couldn't allow himself to be delusional about it anymore.

Besides, Yugito was making it a point to remind him of how utterly foolish he was in the first place for using a self-created technique in a critical situation.

Which brings us back to the situation at hand with Naruto and the woman he was taking care of. Though, currently, he wasn't doing as much of the caretaking as she was given his current state. With his arm unusable for the time being, Yugito had taken to being _his _caretaker until his injuries had fully healed. What that translated in his mind, however, was that he couldn't actually do a damn thing without her consent; which was very little considering most of the things he went out to do involved training or eating. This further translated to being stuck indoors about seventy percent of the time with very little to do to pass the time. It irked him to no end with how bored he was; even the most mundane tasks would have been acceptable if Yugito would let him but refused to allow. It was one of the few times he actually wished he could go out and pick weeds or go shopping for some lady who was perfectly capable of doing it herself; at least then he would have something to do. Hell, he couldn't even play the Shamisen he had bought to practice because of his damn arm!

Deep down though, Naruto knew the real reason as to why he was upset; even if boredom did play a large part of it. His displeasure with the whole situation was that he needed someone else to depend on. It wasn't that he didn't want people to depend on when he needed the help, Kakashi practically engraved teamwork into his brain since the early days of Team Seven, but when in his home he didn't want it. From as far back as he could remember, he never had anyone here, never wanted anyone here to tell him what to do or how to act. This had been his domain and he had always believed he was independent in almost every way when in this place; regardless of if that was just his immature belief or an actual fact. Several children often considered him bratty because he lived in solitude while others considered him lucky because of it; the truth of the matter was that he did like it for a time. He liked being his own boss, but it's hard to like something when there was never anyone willing to be around him to brag too; thus it eventually became a subject he could shrug off. Admittedly, it was because he lived alone that resulted in him performing pranks and skipping the Academy; as there was so much more to do than listen to silence all day when there was a whole bunch of people outside making all kinds of racket.

His Spree of Prankery eventually died as he settled into his new life as a shinobi, which ultimately lead to a newfound appreciation for his independence. Even if it didn't show, being accountable for the upkeep of his home, his plants, his food supply, clothes, and making payments for his rent did provide a sense of maturity and responsibility. He didn't like it, fact he hated it, but he still did it because he knew he had to do it since nobody else would. That feeling, even after his trip away for three years only grew as time passed, as being in the presence of Jiraiya on a constant basis did require at least some maturing to surface on his part. Even if he did sometimes play a part in the man's antics, the fact that he could act mature was still present when the time arose.

To put as simply as possible; Naruto was easily capable of taking care of himself without any outside assistance.

That didn't mean he was _always _independent, as no nine or ten year old should ever need to be paying for rent at that age, it just meant that he eventually grew to be that way.

But that didn't matter at the moment. What did matter was that Yugito was practically trampling all over that feeling of independence that he had always believed he had. It wasn't just her denying him the means to do as he pleased which really bothered him, but the fact that she was doing everything for him when he did not ask her to. As far as he was concerned, he was the one who needed to take care of her, but he had been forced to respect her own personal liberties since she arrived. He wasn't going to be her butler or anything during her state, hell no to that, but he had intended to be somewhat considerate in offering to do laundry and such; in which case she had declined, quite rudely at the time mind, and thus he eventually stopped asking. But, as he watched her now, there she was passing by him with a hamper filled with both of their clothing ready to be washed. She hadn't asked him if she could grab his things, but to be fair he hadn't offered to do it for her since her attitude had changed, but the fact was she was doing something he did not ask her to as if it was her home.

Upon that though, however, he realized that this practically was her home; thus the reason why he kept his mouth shut and let out a sigh as he flopped his head back down on the soft cushion of his couch. Blue eyes numbly stared out into space, arm still encased in a cast while his other rested on his stomach lifelessly, whilst absentmindedly noting his fellow tenant briskly moving passed his vision every so often. While the thought of being reliant on someone else wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, that didn't particularly mean he wasn't grateful for all that the woman was doing for him. The only real problem was that she was prone to acting like a neat-freak; a fact he hadn't really noticed until after watching her at work. This hadn't been particularly noticed until now due to the fact that he was more preoccupied with other things when they were together at home; which was odd considering the fact that they had been living together for quite awhile now. But now that he had nothing to do and forced to rest, even he wasn't dense enough to not take note of these things. The way she would occasionally cease all movements and scan an area for anything that may be out of place, or how she often paced from room to room. It was odd, but at the same time kinda funny to him watching her perform this act; at least until she caught him chuckling and demanded what was amusing and prompting him to shut his mouth.

Still didn't stop him from laughing from time to time though.

There was one other thing that had recently come to light, something which Naruto wasn't proud of and cursed the perverse nature of his sensei. In regards as to what that something was, one only had to look at the woman in question; more specifically her current state of dress. At home, she wore what was comfortable to her and that mostly consisted of a pair of loose pale purple sweat-pants and a short-sleeved white shirt. While there was nothing remotely revealing in either article of clothing, the sweat-pants were not as loose as they appeared to be. The leggings for it were indeed pretty loose, that much was certain, but the further up they went the less 'loose' they became. They were loose enough not to cling to her like a second layer of skin, but not loose enough to prevent one from admiring the noticeable curves that the woman in question sported. It wouldn't have been the first time Naruto had caught himself staring at her from time to time, especially in his current state, and he would need to be blind and dumb _**not **_to notice it in the first place. While he did his absolute best to be aware of where his eyes lingered, it was becoming noticeably more difficult now than it had before. Jiraiya would say that there was nothing wrong with his actions, as it was just something all men did, and to some degree Naruto would agree with him. But, he lived with this girl now, and the last thing he wanted was for her to consider him a pervert even if it was normal for guy's his age to do. His caution was further warranted by the fact that the woman could kick the ever-living crap out of him if she ever found out that he was unintentionally stealing glances at her when she wasn't looking.

Like he was now as she stood across from him whilst scanning the area for anything amiss.

Thankfully, fate decided that he didn't need any more pressure at this time and chose that moment to provide an intervention: in the form of someone knocking on his door. Yugito hadn't even turned around to acknowledge that someone was there before Naruto had stood and made a bee-line for the door; almost as if he was expecting it. A half-hearted call of 'Be right there!' was all that was said in a rather quick pace, almost as if in a panic. When he opened the door, he was greeted with a sight that instantly brought both confusion and relief; as at least now he had a distraction from where his thoughts were steadily progressing towards. For it was not just one person who was present at his doorstep, but two; one striking a pose and the other looking mildly annoyed.

"Bi-san, Sakura-chan?" The sight of both together was obviously something in which Naruto hadn't expected to find, though he wasn't complaining in the slightest. "Why are you two here?"

"Yo, Naruto, get off yer rear and grab your gear! You've gotta date with yer teammate here~" Let it never be said that Bi was not quick to speak out and beat around the bush. Even with the terrible rhyme-scheme, that somehow Naruto found bad-ass to the highest degree, he would pretty much say whatever sounded best even if it wasn't entirely true. Let it also not be said that Sakura had learned that dealing with Bi was very similar to dealing with Naruto, only difference being was that latter was much shorter than the former. It was that reason alone which prevented her from socking him upside the head for giving Naruto the wrong idea about why they were here. It didn't, however, stop her from elbowing the man in the ribs, which did succeed in making the man cringe before changing his tune. "Sorry bro, no pinky for you yo. Yer teammates are waitin for ya so com'on lets go~"

"What are you rambling about now Bi?" It was no surprise to anyone that the man's terrible rapping had reached the ears of someone who was all too familiar with it. With his voice literally booming into the apartment, it didn't take Yugito long to find herself standing behind the blonde young man with her arms crossed and sharing the same annoyed expression as Sakura. She did, however, spare the pinkette a look displaying her sympathy for having to endure Kirabi's presence, which was not missed by the young woman as she returned it with a small smile of understanding. Sakura had one idiot to look after on a consistent basis, this was one was different yet similar in many ways.

"Kakashi-sensei thinks that a bit of celebration is in order for Naruto's hard work over the course of the month." Answered Sakura, now acting as the spokeswoman before Bi could find words to rhyme. "Sai, Kakashi, and Yamato-sensei are waiting for us at Ichiraku, so I was here to fetch him and just happened to come across Bi-san who wanted to join in the festivities."

Yugito didn't miss the rolling of the girls eyes after the statement was done and could only shake her head. Naruto, however, didn't notice having become preoccupied returning the fist-bump that was offered by the larger male. Bi had explained that it was his way of greeting people he was associated with, saying something about how it transmitted one's feelings and thoughts better than just shaking hands. Naruto could see that, for Sasuke had mentioned the saying something similar back at the Valley of the End all those years ago. Plus, he personally enjoyed the informality that this act had, having never really liked the idea of shaking hands with people.

Any further conversation that was to be held between the two clowns of different cultures was silenced by the clearing of Yugito's throat and the noticeable tapping of Sakura's foot caught both male's attention; with both women staring at Naruto and awaiting a response. Said response was a rather sheepish grin and chuckle before turning around and heading back inside to get changed, Yugito stepping aside to avoid bumping into the lad as he passed. Once the young man was no longer in sight, Yugito returned her attention towards the two individual's present before settling her gaze on Bi, who merely stared back at her unblinking. "Must you impose on a matter that has no business to you, Bi?"

"That aint true, pink said it was cool~" Was the response given, raising both hands up defensively though keeping only his index, thumb, and pinky fingers raised as he did so. "Fact, I think she was gonna invite you too~"

"That part's true." Spoke the young woman once again, this time confirming that what Bi was saying this time wasn't false. If Kirabi could come than there was no reason at all that Yugito couldn't as well; given the fact that she would otherwise be stuck here by herself. It would be rude of her and the rest of the team if she wasn't extended an invitation, not to mention the fact that Naruto apparently enjoyed her company just as much as he did Bi's. "You're welcome to join us if you want."

The smile that young woman presented Yugito with only further emphasized her desire to have the other resident Jinchuuriki to join them in this event. Of course, only Yugito would see the true intentions behind that very same smile that she was presenting to her; and it did nothing but make her feel inclined to decline the offer. It wasn't so much the smile as opposed to the looking that was held within those emerald green eyes of hers, a look that the blonde certainly did not approve of in the slightest. That knowing look, the gaze of someone who appeared to be aware of something in which she believed Yugito did not; but of course that was inconclusive. Yugito knew what the pinkette was thinking and that was the big issue here: because Sakura was making the look pretty obvious and not even bothering to hide it. That inclined her to believe that Sakura didn't just want her to go, but _knew _she would because of one critical factor.

"I'm ready!" And that was the reason, in the form of unruly blonde hair and a cheesy grin on his face; dressed in simple clothes not his typical orange attire. Though, upon seeing nobody moving and all current eyes on Yugito, he too turned his attention towards his tenant, confusion plain as day written on his face; his head shifting back and forth between Bi, Sakura, then back to Yugito. "What's the hold up?"

"I was just telling Yugito she coul-"

"One moment please." Was all that was said before the woman in question stepped passed Naruto and into the back bed-room to change. This resulted in leaving the only two male's present to remain confused, while the remaining female to continue smiling to herself and looking quite pleased with herself.

* * *

Nii Yugito, despite her strict demeanor and straightforwardness, was not a person to normally hold a grudge pointlessly. A person in her line of work did not tend to hold meaningless thoughts of anger or aggression towards someone for petty matters that do not conflict with her career. It was worthless to fret over something that mattered so little in the grand scheme of things that harboring those emotions was more of a chore than anything else. It was so much easier to just disregard the matter entirely and continue on with life than it was to dwell on matters that did not have any significance. That wasn't to say that those moments don't occur from time to time, as it was common and sometimes very difficult not to, but she scarcely succumbed to those emotions. Today, however, was one of those rare instances that lead the ever prideful Kunoichi of Kumogakure no Sato to curse every fiber of Haruno Sakura's being to the deepest reaches of hell imaginable. Said curse was never vocally announced of course, but she was positive that the pinkette was already aware of her spite and didn't proceed to care.

As previously stated, Yugito was nearly unflappable at nearly all times and was very difficult to truly agitate. Even in the event that something did rile her up, the emotions felt at the time would be fleeting and soon after nothing less than an afterthought in the deep recesses of her mind. What had instigated her great displeasure towards Sakura, however, was far from fleeting and something that perturbed her every time she saw those emerald eyes looking at her. Those knowing orbs that held barely restrained mirth within did nothing but constantly chip away at the exterior shell of professionalism; leaving in its wake a very agitated young blonde who wanted nothing more than to remove that looking from her pretty face. Doing so would not take long, she reasoned, as it would only take a few seconds in a dark alleyway and a few threats replace the amusement in those sphere's with everlasting fear. The only problem was that, no matter how much she wanted to…

The slight shifting of her eyes towards Naruto as he attempted to eat using the chop-sticks with his non-dominant hand explained the rest.

They indeed had not been the only one's present here, as both of Naruto's instructors were waiting for them at the familiar stall along with the ever vacant expression worn by the recent addition to Team Seven known as Sai. It wasn't long after their arrival that her and the rest of them had gotten settled and placed their orders, though Bi oddly chose to decline the meal and instead begin thinking up new verses to try out; every so often asking for Naruto and the rest of those present for their opinions. Only Naruto responded positively, which acted as a saving grace since it meant that the man would go back to his work and not repeating the same verse over and over with very few alternations added to it. As far as seating arrangements went, with the limited amount of seats available inside, Bi had stationed himself outside along with Sai, leaving herself, Sakura, Kakashi, Yamato, and Naruto within. The limited space within the stall is what ultimately began the reason behind the Kumo nin's current animosity towards the pink haired woman.

Kakashi and Yamato had already seated themselves, and thus she assumed that picking the furthest chair away from the center would allow limited interaction with the rest of the group and more time to herself. Her assumption had been correct, but her execution had not been fast enough as Sakura had been quick to claim that seat; leaving her sitting next to Naruto who sat in the very center of both groups. The blonde would have normally classified the act as mere coincidence that Sakura chose that seat, if it wasn't for that same knowing look in her gaze and the upward twitch on her lips. In spite of knowing this, Yugito had composed herself and took her seat and placed her order; propping her head up on her hand as she waited patiently for her food to arrive. She wasn't even aware that she had spaced out during the course of the young lad's ramblings before being broken from her thoughts by Sakura, and in a manner which both surprised and, admittedly, embarrassed her.

"Someone's staring~"

The statement itself was inconclusive to Yugito, as she was not at all staring at him as the young woman claimed. But from Sakura's angle, the statement carried some merit even if she knew that the statement was false. Fact of the matter was, it accomplished something that was a rather rare sight out in public; it caused her to blush. It was gone before any of the three males took notice to her sudden movement to turn and face the girl, who was busy sipping on some tea that she had ordered. That didn't stop the blonde from glaring at her for making false accusations such as those, or taking note of the corners of her lips being raised. Still, she chose not to voice her claim and instead chose to turn away; but no longer facing the blonde beside her as he turned to regard Bi's latest verse. At this point, the chop-sticks she had taken were being fiddled with in-between her fingers, doing so for the sake of keeping her distracted and keeping her attention away from either person beside her. But things began to escalate when she, along with the rest of them, received their orders and, prior to beginning her meal, took note of the lad's struggle with the chop-sticks. Upon reflection, she realized that the moment her vision lingered on his form longer than it should have Sakura had all the ammunition she needed at her disposal.

"You could always feed him yourself, since he's struggling so much."

And did Sakura act on it alright; her tone being loud enough for only the woman beside her to hear.

It was here that Yugito realized what Sakura was doing and it did not amuse her in the slightest. It also shed some light as to why the young woman consistently held that same knowing and mirthful gleam in her eyes this entire time.

Sakura was _**teasing**_ her, _**pointlessly**_ I might add.

She had not forgotten the conversation in which the two had shared that day almost a month ago. The assumptions in which Sakura were suggesting, the preposterous accusation that she may have held any romantic feelings towards her caretaker, and the parting words the pinkette had left her with that day. Not a day had gone by since then where those thoughts would eventually find themselves present in her mind, though often disregarded as a trivial not worth any further thought. His sudden return and the conversation they had at this very stall, however, did cause those thoughts to become less negligible; only to be once again pushed aside and not dwelled upon any further. She had her priorities set in stone when it concerned her relationship with him; and it was to be purely that of mutual understanding and trust. She treasured him for the person he was, a friend to her and someone who she would not hesitate to help him should the need ever arise. She did not, however, like him in a romantic sense, though if asked she most likely would not be capable of producing a suitable response. It was true he had his pros and his cons, but that was normal and he made no excuses when it came to those matters. She respected that, she respected him, and it was because of that respect that she refused to be anything more than the friend he could count on.

But Sakura was not nearly as convinced as she was in that matter obviously. It was upon reaching this conclusion that ultimately lead to her current agitation towards the pink haired Chuunin, who continued feigning her innocence. This had all but annoyed her to no end, especially since she continued to taunt her every moment the opportunity arose. It even reached the point that she couldn't enjoy her meal any longer in fear of 'accidently' throwing the bowl at the girl's fucking head. Lord knew she was asking for it and if her cheeks were slightly tinted pink as it was and in the blonde-boy's presence, she very well would have turned and given the little bitch a verbal thrashing she'd never forget.

Unfortunate for Yugito, Sakura had already been subjected to this during her training under Tsunade; but that wasn't important.

With all that being said, it was only a matter of time before the muttered curses coming from her right caught her attention. Yes, her gaze did shift towards the boy who was still struggling with his noodles, along with the chop-sticks, but not for a second longer than necessary less Sakura take note of it. But it was hardly something that could be ignored for very long, considering that he couldn't seem to get it and it was obviously frustrating him. Of course, by this point, _everyone _present was aware of how much Naruto enjoyed Ramen, and knew instinctively that this was akin to torture for him. That knowledge didn't make it less annoying unfortunately, especially since he kept cursing after each failed attempt. By this time, Yugito couldn't stand it any longer and was about to finally lend him some assistance, Sakura's relentless taunting be damned, when someone else beat her to it.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly found a new target to focus her rage at.

"Thanks Ayame-nee-chan!" A little too overjoyed for just a bowl of noodles in her opinion, but none the less Naruto was happy at finally being able to indulge himself on his favorite meal of all time.

"No problem Naruto-kun." The tone that the Ramen waitress had used made her wish, just once, to punch her in the jaw. It was sweet, _too fucking sweet_, for her to even bear listening to. "Just don't make a mess and I'll give you a hand; okay?"

Now she suddenly had the urge to apply the same procedure she had planned for the waitress onto Naruto as well; given the way he was grinning and chuckling like a buffoon. The sudden snap that caused all eyes to turn towards her had been the outcome of applying too much pressure on the chop-sticks she was still holding. Her expression betrayed nothing but awareness of her actions; the way she turned her attention towards the now broken utensils as if browsing supplies a store only fueled everyone's curiosity further; with the exception of Sakura of course. It had been classified as downright eerie the way she just dropped them onto the counter before taking another set, breaking them apart, and returning to her meal. That was until she glanced back up to stare back at all parties who had yet to remove their gaze from her person; be it the dullest of gazes to the most dumbfounded ones.

"…something wrong?"

Naruto was the only one among those staring who shook his head in response, though still clearly confused by her action just a moment ago. Kakashi and Yamato mainly didn't care regarding the matter and Ayame was quick to remember her purpose on the opposite side of the counter; though still stealing glances at the blonde every so often. Amongst all of them, however, only Sakura was the one the least surprised regarding the woman's actions; hell she was silently giggling to herself with what had transpired. This, unfortunately, was something Yugito did not miss and soon turned her attention towards the girl who didn't so much as care at this point in trying to hide it. She knew what was coming, knew because it had yet to stop the girl since they had gotten here, thus she chose to confront the issue before it escalated any further.

"Not a word or I'll carve out your tongue." Though in a hushed tone, it was still a very legitimate threat and one she fully intended to follow through with if the bitch didn't knock this silly shit off.

With one hand covering her lips and the other waving in the air, Sakura surrendered the comment for the time being for the sake of keeping the woman out of harms way. That still didn't stop the young woman from giggling though, amusement now radiant in her eyes as she stared at the woman beside her. Oh how the temptation to just deck the girl right then and there was just damn inviting to Yugito at this point. This was growing out of control, so much so that she was acting completely out of her character and if things didn't stop questions were to begin being asked; questions she didn't have any intention of answering. She needed a distraction, something that would get this damn girl to leave her be and focus on something else _besides_ her.

"Yo, fishcake, ya gotta guest at the front gate~" And that distraction came in the form of Bi, who had picked precisely the right time to part the curtains and peek his head into the stall.

"There is no gate, Bi-san." Of course, captain obvious also provided an additional distraction, as Sai fully entered the stall, though his attention shifting from Bi towards the rest of those present. "I believe there is a child who asked for 'the Boss' to step outside for some reason."

"Kanahaharu?" Her repulse by his table manners was pointedly ignored in favor of shifting her attention outside and, indeed, finding a young boy standing in the road in wait. A smack here and a slurp there, Naruto was shortly thereafter rising from his stool and stepping outside to find Konohamaru standing there and appearing quite happy to see his older friend again. "Yo, Konohamaru, good to see ya!"

"Yo boss!" It amazed her how much the kid's grin reminded her of Naruto's own. The fact that he referred to the blonde as 'Boss' pretty much stated the obvious; Naruto was this kid's role-model and was thus taking up after him. This did succeed in causing a small smile to form on the blonde woman's face as she too stood up to see what would transpire, as being inside was making it difficult to listen in on what was going on. Apparently, everyone else inside was also curious and had done the same, for pretty much the entire group the took up the small place was now outside at this point. "I got something new to show you, and this time it'll blow you away!"

"Alright, show me what you got then." The way Naruto said this, actually made the fellow Jinchuuriki spare the lad another glance. The way he was watching this boy made her think this was more than just a demonstration. For once, he looked bit more mature than he normally was in his outings, like observing a student as they performed tasks. She had not been forced to wait long before witnessing something she had not expected to see, that being the child forming a familiar cross-shaped hand seal and being obscured by smoke only to reveal a second child completely identical to the other. She knew what technique that had been and was aware of its difficulty; for a Genin to make even one was damned impressive and she would be the first to admit that. The fact that the only person she had witnessed using that particular technique was Naruto, lead to the conclusion that he must have taught this boy how to do it. Silently, the young woman couldn't help but be impressed with this child's ability to learn and use such an advanced technique. "Guess your finally able to use Kage Bunshin; so what's this new technique of yours?"

Konohamaru, both of them, simply grinned before forming the exact same seal; something which caused Yugito to raise an eyebrow at. From what she could tell, that seal was for a rather basic technique that nearly any shinobi had learned. Nothing with that particular seal was different, all he did was add a second body into the mix, what could possibly be new about-"

"_Oiroke no Jutsu: Onna no Ko Doushi_"

When the smoke dispersed, Yugito had to bear witness to the most disrespectful, unethical, and over-all useless technique that had even been conceived by man; literally by man. The scene that was now for her viewing displeasure was the sight of two completely naked and voluptuous young women purposely pressing themselves as close as possible together whilst striking a highly suggestive position. Part of her wanted to cry out in outrage, another part wanted to smack herself in the forehead and pretend she didn't see this, and a third party wanted to strangle someone; it didn't matter who just someone. Instead, she chose none of these options and merely stared, stared while she mentally hoped, wished, and prayed that her gaze would cause the image before her to spontaneously combust. Though, there was at least some closure in this whole thing, as Sakura had finally found something new to focus her attention on; if her noticeable expression of outrage and disgust wasn't of any indicator. If she herself wasn't so flabbergasted by this sight, she would have been delighted and amused by the sight. Unfortunately, she couldn't relish at the distraction which only served to further her desire to throttle someone. Though, not everyone shared the same amount of anger in which herself and Sakura had felt in this moment, as the others currently present were male, thus the reactions were not nearly as noticeable as hers or Sakura's.

"Konohamaru you're a genius!"

"Great display of ass n' ti-taays~"

Naruto and Kirabi's reactions pretty much summed up what she had expected to hear from the male party. It was upon hearing of Naruto's obvious approval that every bit of respect she had for the blonde just a moment ago was swept away. This also prompted the blonde woman to divert her attention away from the bomb-shell duo and focus her entire attention towards the whisker-cheeked young man. Her gaze must have been carrying some killing intent with it, because the moment she locked her gaze on the lad, he had shivered and began searching for something; and finding her stare. The instant he locked eyes with her, he knew he was in deep shit; knew it well enough to not even bother to wipe the blood that had leaked down his left nostril. So, he did what he normally did when in a bad spot; chuckled sheepishly and rub the back of his neck. It did little to nullify Yugito's anger, fact it only intensified the woman's glare further to the point that there really was killing intent being directed at him. The only thing that was keeping her from proceeding down the path her thoughts were taking her was the cast that was covering his arm; and even that was becoming less and less important as the seconds ticked by.

"_Oiroke no Jutsu: Otoko no Ko Doushi_"

Upon hearing that, both blonde's immediately returned their gaze towards the boy's current location, just as Konohamaru was obscured by a cloud of smoke. Apparently, during the course of Yugito's stare off with Naruto, Sakura had chosen to speak out in regards to the technique that the boy created. With her displeasure now clear, Konohamaru had chosen to act in defense of his technique to hopefully prove a point; something that would humiliate both himself, and Sakura in the process. The said defense was largely similar to the former technique; only difference being that, instead of females, it was two males who were intamently close to each other. One of these males she did not recognize at all, but the other was no doubt the third member of Team Seven. The sight alone did nothing to her, but it had a struck a pretty deep cord in Sakura that was far from subtle.

"You're a Genius!"

As for the males, with the exception of Sai, their response was all pretty similar; disgust and outrage. The latter of the two emotions mostly being present in Bi and Naruto's expressions, the latter of the two actually lifting his sunglasses up to fiercely rub his eyes. Performing the technique alone must have been humiliating enough, for it was not active for longer than a few seconds before it was gone. Konohamaru himself looked mortified that he had to resort to such a thing just to prove his point, though that didn't stop him from looking a bit satisfied with the way Sakura's reaction had been in regards to it. It was here that Sakura had finally composed herself whilst Naruto proceeded to scold Konohamaru for making something such as that, whilst Yugito proceeded to look downright pleased with the girl's reaction. Credit had to be given to the girl for trying to save face, but the damage had already been done and she had to side with the male's at this point when she was on the receiving end of several flat stares in regards to her claims. Okay, so maybe the brat's technique did prove to be useful after all, since she was now sure that the girl wouldn't be speaking anytime soon and Naruto finally received a bit of payback for such a foolish technique.

Did that mean she was still upset with both parties; most definitely yes. But this small victory would keep her content for the remainder of the day. That still didn't mean she could pass up the opportunity to mess with Sakura once she silently re-entered the group.

"I learn something new every day." Her tone, attest to normal, carried barely repressed mirth within it as she stared at the pinkette's crestfallen face. Said girl's head immediately snapped up to glare ferociously at the blonde woman who was soaking up every bit of that anger like a sponge. Remember, Yugito was the one who liked to dish things out on others; not receive it herself. This entire day she had been on the receiving end up Sakura's taunts, it was her time to extract some justly deserved revenge while the wound was still fresh. It was for that reason that Yugito took on the same ignorant guise that Sakura had worn nearly the entire day, her eyes half-lidded and the sweetest, fakest, smile she could produce. "I had no idea that was your particular fancy, Sakura-san."

More credit had to be given to the pink haired medic for having more self control that Yugito had pegged her to have. For it was clear the girl wanted to hit her, which would have been a welcome challenge since she could use the sparring session, but refrained from acting any further than clinching her fists tightly. Her hand's loosened as her breathing slowed back down to calm herself, though her eyes still retained the righteous fury within them and was just waiting to be set free. It was refreshing to see the girl in the opposing end of this little game, in fact she now understood why Sakura had persisted as it was quite enjoyable. However, the words that Sakura spoke next ended this little game for the remainder of the day, along with her content mood.

"Naruto's not a boob-lover."

Sakura didn't wait a second after this statement to examine Yugito's face, preferring instead to just go home and save herself from any further humiliation today. If she had waited a few seconds longer, she would have seen a mixture of emotions flash on the blonde's face. From confusion as to where that statement had come from, to the understanding as to what the girl was insinuating; which caused her to unintentional raise her arm up over her chest. That was an insult of a sore-loser, someone who needed to have get the final word in to make themselves feel better after a loss. Course, she hadn't been a willing participant in the little game Sakura was playing, fact she had been the victim of it up until this point. Now that she had just a little dirt on the girl, she goes and becomes a spoiled sport about it. Of course, rationally, it was something that could be overlooked since Sakura was still younger than her and was still at the age where immaturity was acceptable. Naruto too was still at the age where immaturity was acceptable; add that to the fact that he was a man and hormones ran rampant during this time and you have a typical teen-age young man. It was acceptable, but this had been the first real time she had taken note of him acting his age; or displaying the common reaction to witnessing a sight which Konohamaru had shown.

Come to think of it, now that the thought was in her mind, she hadn't noticed her roommate ever once trying to do anything that she had expected a man to do in the presence of a woman. She wasn't as flamboyant about her appearance as some people she had met or knew, but she would like to think herself as attractive in appearance to the fairer sex. But since day one of her arrival here in Konoha and in Naruto's care, she had never once caught him trying to steal glances at her at any time. That meant one of two things: either he was very discreet whenever he did so or he wasn't doing it at all. This line of thought only caused her to further ponder about Sakura's words, and what it was she had implied. She had bust, not nearly as large as the women that Konohamaru had transformed into, but there was definitely enough to be noticeable even in her Jounin attire. In the off chance that she actually cared about Sakura's words and if they were indeed true, would that explain why Naruto had never spared her any glances at home, during their past spars, hell at all?

Naruto didn't know why, but for some reason he felt a chill go up his spine from his position back on the stool inside Ichiraku as Ayame helped him eat. To his added confusion, when he began searching the area, he could not find Yugito's form anywhere in sight.

* * *

"Why am I doing this?" Pondered the young woman rhetorically, her eyes narrowing as her brow furrowed in thought. This hadn't been the first time she had voiced this question aloud since she returned to the apartment shortly after Sakura's departure. Each time she proposed this inquiry she was met with silence, only to sigh and resume the action which she was performing. There was no major thought process behind the action, nothing groundbreaking that had enlightened her in regards to the act's purpose; but she continued anyway. The action itself was humiliating, and if Naruto had been present she would have not have dared to even think of doing this. Thankfully, he was still out, thus leaving Yugito to perform this in private without fear of being discovered at the moment. The said action was pretty simple, but something out of character for someone like her. As, at this very moment, Yugito stood in front of the only mirror large enough to view her entire form wearing nothing but her white undergarments.

The same dark eyes stared flatly at the reflection that was present in the mirror, observing her own physic and following through with the same pattern that had repeated several times prior in the last half hour. After several moments of pointless observation, she would turn until her shoulders were facing the mirror, allowing her to see the curve of her bust. They were, for the most part, average in her eyes, and when she gave a slight bounce in place, she noted the bounce that they made. She wasn't as stacked as a certain friend of her's back in Kumo, but they were by no means small either; so she justly labeled them as just above average for someone of her current age. While most would say that was just perfect, mostly males mind you, she found them as just another annoyance to deal with but that was normal. Kunoichi all over had to deal with this problem, or at least the ones who actually had a note-worthy bust. She personally was glad for their current size, as anything more would just be a consistent annoyance that she didn't really wish to deal with on a constant basis.

When it came down to muscle, she was still proud to note that nothing had changed since she had left Kumo. Her belly remained flat as ever, though the muscle that was present was still noticeable though not overly so. While her complexion may have altered slightly during the course of her stay here, it wasn't something that warranted any complaints from her really. Formerly fair-skinned, Yugito's hand rose to brush along her stomach in admiration to the light, though still noticeable, tan her skin was now sporting. She had been thankful to the fact that her body hosted Nibi since, had she been anyone else, she may still be shedding at this point; but thankfully that wasn't the case. Still, even with Nibi's passive assistance, there were a few area's present on her being that displayed scarring that were not capable of being repaired. It was a fact that not many were aware of, but Yugito could not have her wounds be healed as flawlessly as Naruto or Bi. Given, they housed the strongest of the Biju while she contained the second weakest, so it was a fact that was understandable in comparison. Unfortunately, said scars were present in two places that blemished her nearly flawless appearance; a long yet very thin slash-like mark beginning just below her left breast and continuing down to her hip while the second was a noticeably smaller scar created from a stab wound to the right shoulder. Both scars were given to her by the same opponent and the only ones in which could not be healed due to the multitude of other injuries that she had sustained. That mission had lead to her most difficult conflict to date and closest she had ever been to death in her entire career thus far.

The scars had served as a reminder to her that she was not all powerful because of the Nibi's presence within her. She could still die and she was still very much human like the rest of her comrades. They also served to cause her discomfort at times, as the larger scar of the two did travel further up than what she could currently see. Though having never desired to pursue an intimate relationship with anyone as of yet in Kumo, she would silently wonder how the male populace would react to knowledge of that scar. Her friend had assured her that no man would find it unattractive, but that still didn't stop her from being self conscious about it whenever she viewed herself in the mirror like she was now. She wasn't ashamed of it, heavens no, as there was no reason to bear any shame in carrying a few scars here and there in this line of work. The only time one should be ashamed of their scars is when they are caught and tortured; at least that was how it was in Kumo. Still, even if there was nothing to be ashamed of, even after all the re-assurance that she received, Yugito still covered them up so as not for preying eyes to behold.

She couldn't even begin to imagine what Naruto would think if he saw-

"Snap out of it." Growled the young woman to herself, her once thoughtful expression contorting into that of frustration and annoyance as she turned to fully face the mirror. "Seriously, what am I doing this for?"

While she may not voice it or even remotely admit it, another knew the exact reason as to why Yugito was doing this. The fact that she was merely denying the truth did nothing but trouble the very being in which the blonde contained. It wasn't inclined to give forth its opinion on the matter, fact it rarely did unless her host wished for its council, but to the Nibi the matter was pretty damn obvious. It didn't take being a demon or having several lifetime's worth of experience with mortals to be know it either, but Yugito tended to make personal matters difficult. What was most troublesome about this was that, even if Nibi spelled it out for her, the girl would only continue to deny it; thus the reason the creature did not bother to comment. It was all centered around that other mortal that took residence here, but anyone with half of a brain and even the slightest bit of insight would be able to conclude the same thing. No genius was needed to deduce that, but again Yugito just continued to make things difficult for herself by failing to admit the truth. Given her reasons were justified, but simply admitting the fact would make everything less stressful for the poor girl.

From within the seal which bound her to the blonde's soul, Matatabi yawned as the giant creature of blue flame coiled itself into a more comfortable position.

"Oi, Yugito-chan, you feeling al-" Both tenant and host's attention focused on the voice that was suddenly in the same vicinity as them. For the very individual who had constantly been in the back of the young woman's mind was currently standing in the doorway leading to the bedroom the two shared. Of course, all words that were about to be said died in his throat upon realizing Yugito's state of dress. "-right?"

Neither blonde moved for several moments while the room was now filled with an awkward and stained silence. Eventually, though, one of them had to finally come to their senses and the first to achieve this had been Yugito. For once it registered that Naruto was now present in the same room as herself, along with the fact that she was almost naked in front of him, her face immidately turned completely crimson. Shock was soon replaced with an emotion which Naruto had yet to ever witness on her; complete and utter terror. What she was afraid of, he didn't know, but one thing even he was able to become aware of quickly enough was that this was not the opportune time to be standing here and to get the hell out. He was fortunate enough to proceed to do just that, his form retreating out of the doorway and slamming the door as he exited; which was followed shortly by two noises; one he was expecting and the other he was not. The first noise was the sound of something shattering against the door, most likely one of his potted plants that he kept in his room and was taking care of. The second noise, however, had come shortly before the formerly mentioned crash.

"_**KYYAAAAAA!**_"

In spite of Yugito's predicament, Matatabi could not contain her laughter no matter how desperately she wished to suppress it.

Poor girl had it bad.

* * *

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, I hope you all enjoyed it. I don't have a song this time that inspired this, mainly because this chapter was pretty hard to get out on my part. I'm just thankful I managed to get what I have here for you all to enjoy and I apologize for the long wait. Me being honest here, the reason this took so long was mainly due in part to playing Skyrim again and getting stuck in it. Really, its hard to break away from that game especially when you're trying to level without using exploits. The other reason was mainly due to the introduction into this chapter, but once that got started it pretty much snowballed into what you have now.

I hope y'all enjoyed the bit of humor that I tried to bring into the story for this chapter; since I felt it was long over-due. Sure, this is a romance story, but romance still has room for some humor in it wouldn't you agree? I mean, if it didn't, than I would just find the entire thing boring; espcecially since Kirabi is apart of this story as well. Yes, don't think I forgotten the big guy; he's too funny not to have a part in this story somewhere.

Now, you've all been good little boy's and girl's; what do you say about going into that little box down below?

Come on, I shouldn't need to tell you this anymore, but if I don't you may not do it.

I know its there, I know you know its there. What's stopping you, hmm?

Come on, admit it, you like it; so go ahead and do it.

**Click it.**


	5. Chapter 5

Greetings everyone!

I apologize for the wait, UPS kinda sucks for me right now in addition to getting sucked back into Skyrim. Seriously; the game is addicting as hell when you really want to reach 81! Worst part about that is I still have yet to reach that level; and it's pissing me off to no end. Thankfully though, the PS3 version now has all three of its DLC, so I now have some new things to explore once I have the free time to work on it. Believe me, I had to tear myself away from it just to work on this, so I hope you all are happy. Ah, who am I kidding, of course your happy; you wouldn't be reading this if you weren't. Anyway, enough crap from me, here's the fifth chapter of Three Strings of a Shamisen!

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**I don't own Naruto: If I did, Yugito would still be alive and fornicating with him by now...**

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Stress, no matter the lifestyle or career-path, was a symptom that every person was expected to experience. Whether it is in a day-to-day activity or having to go about your duties in the workplace, the fact was that anxiety, pressure, nervousness, anger, and even depression were to be expected at some point in time. It was unavoidable and inevitable; especially for those who chose to pursue a career as a shinobi. While such things can become hazardous to the individual's health if left alone too long, there were ways to cope with said issues. In many ways, it was largely considered similar to how one may handle with grief, as alcohol tended to do wonders to relieve one's troubles if only for a time. But alcohol wasn't the only method to relieve one of stress, fact was everyone had their own ways to dealing with their troubles; some being more active while others performing a more subtle actions to install some sort of tranquility within them. Then there were those who performed different tasks dependent on their level of stress; which was understandable as sewing was not a very wise activity when angry.

Yugito was no different, in spite of her professionalism, when it came to the matter of stress. Normally, playing her shamisen would put her at ease, the music that she could thoughtlessly play being more than enough to sooth her uneasy mind. However, even she was prone to moments such as these where performing her favorite pastime was not a wise decision to be made. No, she was angry, righteously infuriated to be brutally honest, and this time she was not ignorant as to why. She had become careless, nearly exposed herself entirely to a young man who had only known her for four months and sixteen days. How could she have been so careless, how did she allow herself to be caught off guard like that, and all for something as ridiculous as observing her own appearance? Worst of it all, in her mind at least, was the fact that her reaction to being discovered had been entirely out of character for her. Having said this, she had every right to be upset; though not an ounce of her anger was directed at her fellow tenant and caretaker.

Some would argue that, by all rights, she should have been upset with him for the invasion of her privacy. But that was what separated herself from most other young women her age; for her view of the situation wasn't nearly as narrow-minded as most others. The apartment had been Naruto's for a vast amount of time and, in that time, he had been the only individual who took residence there. He wasn't accustomed to taking caution when entering a room after living there for so long in solitude. It had been something that Yugito was already made aware of during the first month of staying there that she had come to discover; and since then his improvement on the matter had been significant. But, as the saying went, old habits die hard and Naruto was still prone to accidental interruptions from time to time. She knew he was not doing it on purpose, the proof of this fact being that this had only occurred twice prior, so she never had a reason to feel considerably irked in that regard. With that knowledge, it was concluded that there was no logical reason to be upset with him; for he had done nothing to warrant her anger. In regards to her violent reaction, well it was never said that she wasn't prone to acting out of instinct portraying to the removal of intruders.

Naruto was indeed fortunate enough not to have left kunai out in the open for her to grab; the potted plant was much heavier to just pick up and throw than a kunai was.

But, disregarding the above factor, her reaction to this intrusion was something noticeably different compared to other instances. Naruto, however, was the only person who would be able to note this aside from Yugito herself. When compared to the other instances, she would become aware of the situation, adjust herself accordingly, yell for the sake of urgency, and he would follow through with her demand. In both of those events, though, Yugito's professional attitude did not waver like it had this time; for even when she yelled at him she was still acting as if giving orders to a squad. This incident though, had a much more noticeable difference when it concerned her emotions. For the first time in a long while since she arrived, Yugito had displayed an emotion that Naruto had not been privy to witnessing on her very often: distress, horror, and embarrassment. If one has asked the blonde what else he may had seen, in terms of emotions, he would admit that those were all he had witnessed. But, in the back of his mind, he could swear that there was something else among the mixture of emotions that was present; something he could not place. To those who asked what emotions she had felt then, she would claim none and that would of course be a lie. In her subconscious mind, though, Matatabi was quite aware of the most dominant emotion among the many that were displayed in that moment.

That emotion being shame: shame of the scars which she never desired to reveal to the person she was secretly smitten with.

It was due to these troublesome thoughts and emotions which lead to the young woman seeking out a means to abolish them as quickly as possible. In doing so, she found that the best method to achieve some sort of peace of mind was to train, so she did. In the beginning, it had been done in solitude and as far away from the Naruto's apartment as possible; all for the sake of keeping her mind away from the boy in question for as long as possible so as not to be distracted. She had even went as far as neglecting to disclose her location to the lad so as not to risk his sudden appearance again, something which she knew must have troubled him greatly but wisely chose to just let her be. Sadly enough, it had been the best decision he had made since she arrived here; for she feared that his appearance here may invoke more hostel emotions to surface.

What she had not been aware of however, was that her choice of location to train was the preferred area another shinobi frequently visited. Though, when the particular person arrived, they were far from against her presence there as well; fact they even went as far as to suggest a friendly spar for the sake of further honing their skills. She did not decline the offer, and as a result Yugito finally received some relief from her troubled thoughts during the course of their spar. With her mind temporarily freed from the inner turmoil she had found herself in, the young woman was able to gain a bit of her old persona once she was in a situation which she was familiar with: the thrill of conflict. Her opponent's movements, attack-patterns, their speed, their strength; all of these factors and many more had her mind racing with activity that was all too familiar to her. It was no longer a mindless method of relieving stress, but an activity that warranted her complete attention to gain the upper hand. The end result of the spar had all but secured the willing participant's respect for her, if the claims of being a difficult opponent weren't proof enough. Neither party was the victor in the end, but the fact that both were challenged by the other meant that it was worthwhile.

Prior to her departure, her sparring partner had made the request to repeat their session the next day and Yugito had found it difficult to decline the offer. In all honesty, the only real purpose she had accepted was for the sake of something to keep her distracted, maybe even shift her back into her old mindset again.

Say what you will, but Nii Yugito had since grown to respect the 'Youthful Spirit' which Rock Lee continued to preach about during the spars following the past two days.

Even so, in spite of lengthy distraction that Rock Lee provided during these spars, the effect was only temporary. As the training drew to a close and the two departed for the evening, Yugito's mind would almost instantly return to her the troublesome thoughts she wished to ignore the moment she returned home. It had been for that reason that she put as much effort as possible to avoid conversing with Naruto, even when directly spoken to she hardly ever gave him a response. Given, when she finally returned home the previous evening, the boy had chosen to keep to himself; speaking only to acknowledge that she was home and again when he was retiring for the evening. One would think that, given her personality, she would be understanding of his lack of interaction with her due to her own desire to distance herself from him. While this was indeed the case, it only proceeded to only increase the amount of thoughts weighing down on her that were not helping her mood.

It made her feel agitated to be ignored by someone who, up until just recently, heavily considered her as a friend. They spoke about everything; more things that she even cared to discuss to someone outside the walls of Kumo. Yet now neither one of them were speaking to each other, leaving only an air of silence that did not suit the atmosphere that his apartment usually held. Was he upset about her trying to ignore him or was he just being respectful with his silence? She wasn't sure, she never could be sure given Naruto's impulsive nature, but what she was sure about was that she did not like the way things were going. A talkative Naruto was several times more tolerable than a silent one, but that was purely her opinion. What made the whole thing worse was that she knew that she was responsible for him acting this way. She could blame Sakura for making her question her femininity; that much Yugito was not willing to claim as her fault. However, no other person could be liable for this change in development between herself and her roommate except her.

It was for that reason which lead to her to currently find herself in the training area once again; having desired to meet with her sparring partner while also ponder a means to fix this growing issue. The weather was nice today, as it usually was if she ever gave it much further thought, as the sun long passed risen from the horizon and shining rays of warm sunlight down upon the village. To her, however, the sun's rays didn't feel nearly as warm as she felt they could have been while the soft-shifting breeze felt that occasionally swept through the area was much colder than she preferred. The vibrant wildlife that she was accustomed to witnessing didn't seem as lively anymore, and the animals oddly silent despite their abundance beyond the tree line. With all that being said it was clear to even the most casual observer that the young woman was troubled; with the single person capable of resolving it being herself. The only real issue that presented itself was the lack of knowledge as to how she could amend the situation.

All that thought did was amuse and annoy the twin-tails to no end.

The amusement was understandable given her container's lack of interest in the opposite sex. Contrary to popular belief, Yugito wasn't a woman who despised men or attempted to display an icy exterior for the sake of scaring men away. The girl was simply a person who put duty before life and that wasn't something people could fault her for. It was just how she had been raised, how she had been trained to be since a young age, and had very few individual's to socialize with outside the line of duty. With little time to actually go out and live, how could one blame her for having the personality of a brick? Of course, with the Akatsuki threat growing larger as time passed, that former persona was gradually beginning to diminish thanks to the actions of the blonde boy she stayed with.

Matatabi was far from surprised when she noticed the subtle developments that were beginning to surface within her container. Her professional attitude was steadily being chipped away as the months passed and thoughts that were usually not on the forefront of her mind were starting to become abundant. To the twin-tails, this was a development that had she had been overjoyed to witness, having begun to grow tired of the dreary mindset that Yugito maintained constantly back in Kumo. It served a good purpose, in her eyes, as the long-term results would surely yield some of the twin-tail's interest in her host's life. Mind you, Matatabi wasn't an entity of spite or lust and she did genuinely care about the happenings of the outside world. But Yugito was not the prime candidate in regards to keeping the Biju's interest for very long; considering the most interesting thing that occurs outside of her shinobi activities involved an instrument the demon didn't really care for.

But all that was gradually beginning to change now, all thanks to that orange wearing boy who somehow managed to squeeze himself into the guarded heart of her container.

That, however, was the other part of the situation that annoyed the beast to no end. Despite all that the boy was doing, along with that girl with the pink hair, her host simply would not accept the truth for what it was. The twin-tails knew why, understood how she felt in that regard, but it never ceased to annoy her that it was the girl's only excuse to not admit what she already knew. It was as bothersome as it was amusing, for no matter how clear the facts were she still continued to deny it. Deep down, both the twin-tails and Yugito knew that she could not delude herself forever and eventually face the facts. But the girl was stubborn, more so than most would peg her for, when it concerned her personal life and did not desire to stray far from her comfort zone if she could help it. There were times when she could branch out though, the fact that the girl did have some associates at all was proof that she could grow and adjust accordingly. Still, even with the bonds she had created with those few people, she kept them at a distance; why this was had been something that did intrigue Matatabi greatly but not enough to warrant prying. She knew a lot of things about the girl, that being expected with her being a Jinchuuriki, but there were some things that even Yugito could hide from her if she really put forth the effort.

Unfortunately for her host the reason she couldn't hide so much about her little friend in orange was due to him being on the forefront of her mind. It was hard to hide things such as that when they are as constant as he was. Yet Nibi remained silent, not wishing to speak her own thoughts on the matter as it genuinely had nothing to do with her. She very easily could, hell she had been tempted to on several occasions, but had refrained. If an answer was needed than it would simply be out of respect for the girl and nothing more. It was all up to Yugito to decide how this would all unfold, be it for better or worse and she would have to live with the consequences. Personally, Matatabi didn't much care so long as she admitted what she was truly feeling to herself. For the time being, though, the twin-tails would continue to wait in silence and watch as this challenging chapter in Yugito's life unfolded.

Yugito didn't know it, but her tenant was inclined to feel some amount of sympathy. The poor girl was lost, very lost actually, in how these matters work. Having been so absorbed in her troubled thoughts, she was not even aware that her sparring partner had entered the training field.

"Yugito-san!" As it had been for the past two days since their first spar, this had been Lee's rather vocal way of making the said woman aware of his arrival. Of course Lee, being nearly as energetic and dense as Naruto could be a times, was oblivious to the woman's current plight at the moment. To be fair though he wasn't facing her directly, fact all he could see was her back, but the fact that he received no immediate reaction from the girl should have made him skeptical in his approach. Unfortunately, for him, it did not; as he was already sprinting over towards the distraught young woman with a grin that would make his sensei proud. "I'm looking forward to seeing our combined flames of youth burn brightly again today Yugito-san!"

One would think that someone who's voice was as loud and energetic as Lee's would have caught her attention much sooner than it did. It would have been hard not to notice his approach, yet that just spoke volumes of how intently the young woman was in concerns to her thoughts. Credit, however, had to be given to Lee for realizing something was amiss when he had still received no response from the woman regarding both his arrival or his eagerness to begin their session. The once grinning face of the lad soon shifted into that of curiosity along with healthy amount of concern as his approach went from a light sprint until it was to a casual walking pace. By that time, though, he was well within arm's-length of her; yet her back still faced him and the rest of her form remained unmoving. Lee, while overly passionate about his desire to improve himself, was still generally a nice guy if one looked passed the external oddities. So, with his concerns raised and the same kindhearted nature he was prone to displaying, he reached out to try and garter the woman's attention.

"Yugito-sa-"

The moment his bandaged hand firmly positioned itself on the woman's right shoulder, she reacted in a manner that was befitting to someone of her. For, in the seconds that followed the contact, the blonde Jinchuuriki had whirled around in place, pushing the offending limb that had initiated contact away with her forearm as she turned, whilst four razor sharp claws whistled through the air as she swept them in a wide arc with her left hand. Lee, even if caught unaware, was still a Taijutsu expert and thus had just as effective reaction time as Yugito did; thus was able to avoid the attack without injury and retreat back to gain some distance between himself and his aggressive sparring partner.

Though, even if Lee was dense at times, even he had seen how the woman's eyes seemed different than they had been in the past few days. The calculating and unfaltering gaze that was usually present within those dark sphere's were absent, leaving them vacant and empty. To someone like Lee, it just showed that she wasn't acting intentionally and moving purely on instincts born through vigorous training. One could question how exactly he knew this; others would just trust him when it concerned matters like these. It was, after all, coming from someone who could still fight whilst asleep, drunk, or unconscious; someone making a sudden reaction such as the one she performed wasn't really as far-fetched when compared to the unusual things he himself had been through.

Thankfully, the woman did not retaliate further upon her preemptive-strike. In fact, shortly after Lee retreated back, Yugito's awareness had returned; leaving her standing where she was in; appearing quite puzzled and in a daze. The same dark sphere's that were once glazed over in thought had been quick to return to the usual passiveness that they held outside of spars, shifting from Lee's distant form to her own claws as they retracted back to their original length. It had not taken much time for her to reach the conclusion as to what had just transpired and the moment it did she could not suppress the urge to massage the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"Damn it." It was uttered in something akin to a hushed, but harsh, whisper; but even from the distance Lee could still hear it. Upon this simple statement, though, she still refrained from moving; choosing instead to prolong her current activity for a few additional moments. In that time, Lee relaxed his guard and, with a bit of caution mind you, re-approach the woman and hopefully discover the reason for her irritation. It wasn't much, hell barely any sign of exasperation was shown in her expression, but he had a teammate who was as stone-faced as one could be. He knew what to look for when judging someone's emotions, even if the her actions weren't glaringly obvious, based on body-language. Shame he hadn't been paying much attention prior to now, otherwise he could have avoided this whole situation entirely. However, as his foot-falls in the lush grass below his feet gradually came closer towards the woman, Yugito ceased her actions, shooting the lad in green an apologetic look before speaking. "My apologies, Lee-san; it appears that my mind is elsewhere."

"Is everything alright?" Genuinely curious as he was, Lee was not prone to prodding someone for answers if they did not wish to disclose anything more than they desired to share. He could tell that there was something wrong with her, something she either did not wish to share. It would explain why some of the things that he had noticed since she first began training with him; such as why she desired to remain out here until the evening hours. She was a Jounin of Kumogakure, and while those of such rank are inclined to perform acts such as that as anyone else, she obviously had enough skill and experience to not require _that_ much time out to refine anything. That meant there was an alternative reason for her being here; the question being what that reason was. "If you like, I can help!"

As generous as the offer was, Yugito was not so willing to jump at the opportunity to seek assistance from Lee. Yes, he was a great distraction from her personal problems with these sparring sessions, but she really wouldn't trust the young man for much else outside of that field. Was that wrong to say; possibly yes. There was no shame at all in admitting that fact since, from what Naruto told her about Lee in the past, he could be really odd at times and he was not lying in saying that. She had seen it, she had heard about it, and by god she was not about to try and have him sticking his nose in her business. Do not misunderstand; Lee was a very likable person and all, but there was a line between likable and trustworthy in her eyes.

"It's nothing, please do not concern yourself with-"

"Is it about Naruto-kun?"

This time, what escaped her lips was far from hushed, yet a couple notches short of a yell. The 'eep' that slipped from between her lips had all but ruined any means of saving face, something she knew and so did Lee. While the young man in question appeared to still be in a state of confusion, Yugito's expression tried in vain to remain devoid of any hints….and failed solely to the shade of pink that tinted her cheeks. For someone who was raised without having any interest in the opposite sex, it was very hard to conceal embarrassment and fuck anyone who told said otherwise. It only made her curse the current plight she was in even further, god she was turning into some crushing schoolgirl!

"….I-I suppose there's no denying it at this point." Sighed the woman, clearly annoyed as she briefly averted her gaze; all the while cursing that stuttering crap to deepest pits of hell.

She was surprised to find that, upon returning her gaze towards Lee, that he had chosen to seat himself down on the grass with his legs crossed. Judging by his expression and the intensity of his gaze, there was no doubt in her mind that he was expecting an explanation; one she wouldn't deny him now that she had just admitted it. With another sigh, she too entered the same position as he did, though propping her head up using her right knee to support her elbow. "It isn't but so imperative Lee-san, so please do not become overly zealous in regards to what I am about to explain."

"Yosh, then please begin!"

Yup, today was officially going to be the worst day of her life here in Konoha.

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When Sakura had heard someone knocking on the front door to her home, she had been expecting several different people to have been there. Someone like Ino, Shizune, maybe or even Yamato, but none of those listed had been accurate. When she had opened the door, the last person she would have thought to have found was Naruto of all people, though she supposed that it was bound to happen. He never actively chose to come directly to her house, even back in their Genin days did he come by here to bother her. Of course, had he done so then she would have slammed the door on his face if the first thing that left his lips was a request for a date or something along those lines. On reflection of this day, however, she would have felt guilty of desiring to do such a thing right at this very moment. The only thing that stopped her was that he looked genuinely out of place, oddly uncomfortable and yet relieved at the same time. A big indicator of this being the sheepish look that was currently present as he stared back at her from across the doorway, the still functional hand raised and scratching the back of his neck just as he normally did whenever he did something wrong.

"Naruto?" Was the initial response she had given instead of the usual greeting she would give to visitors. Once all the previously listed facts above registered through her brain, the pinkette's eyes narrowed slightly before huffing in annoyance. "What did you do now?"

Predictable Naruto merely pouted at the accusation, though it was something he had no right to blame her for. Most of the time he was getting himself into trouble and Sakura was typically the one to provide the punishment for whatever it was he had done wrong. Those had only been minor things though, things that could be easily forgiven with a swift punch to the head or two. This time, though, was different and he wasn't sure if he would be leaving this place was just a simple punishment as that. Hell, he was half tempted to say screw it and make a run for it; but that would only make it worse for him in the end when Sakura eventually found out what had happened. He knew she would find out because she always did, and when she did she made sure he suffered for it in the end. So, in his mind, he felt it would be better to just get it over with and, hopefully, find a solution to his current problem.

The said problem was Yugito, as his current house-guest was both avoiding and not socializing with him at all as of recently. Even someone of his level of common sense could deduce the reason behind why she was acting like this as the events were still fresh in his mind. It was hard not to when you have a sensei like Jiraiya who's consistent attempts to turn him into 'a real man' emphasized on assisting him with his perverted antics. The thing that bothered him, though, was that she wasn't acting how she had expected her to; at least when it concerned how to deal with him after throwing his plant. Sure, that he had expected, but the silent treatment was not among the list of things he had seen coming when it came to reprimanding him. Naruto had apologized afterwards, and even her response then wasn't what he had been expecting; that was what terrified him the most.

She had told him that it was nothing, not to concern himself with it; and that was when the silence between them had officially begun.

He was lost here, he didn't know who else to turn to for an honest answer as to what was going on. Kakashi had been his first choice to go for guidance, but that thought had been crossed out when he remembered something Jiraiya had told him once. Women were more difficult to understand and a species that men were not meant to understand; leaving it at that. Recalling that statement had caused him to reevaluate who he should talk to; and thus Sakura had been the primary target to seek some insight on this matter. Of course, there were other options if Sakura couldn't, or wouldn't, help him with this matter; but he was sure that she would listen to him just this once.

Which was why he was here, looking guilty as charged, and currently recoiling a bit as the intensity of her glare seemed to grow stronger with each second he remained silent. Gulping down the lump in his throat, he lowered his hand away from his neck and composed himself as best he could before speaking. "I, uh, need your help."

"With what?" Her tone did not suggest that she was liking where he was going with this.

"I, um, think Yugito-chan's mad at me about somethin'." Responded the blonde, a few forced chuckles escaping from him as he spoke. Knowing what would inevitably come, he chose to try and get to the point now before she could deck him right then in there. "I was gonna see if you could help me out with a way to apologize."

One didn't need to know a whole heck of a lot to know that Naruto wasn't good when it came to words. Expressing himself verbally was never really his strong suit and he knew it. The reason behind that was, while he could indeed say some rather touching words when the time called for it, when it came to personal matters he tended to say a little too much. It was a bad habit of his; rather than just say his peace he would fumble in the dark and add something to what he originally said and end up ruining the moment. That particular habit of his usually ended with him looking more and more like a fool than he liked but it was just something he couldn't help. Usually the lack of response tended to be unnerving to him, so he usually ended up blurting out whatever was first to come to mind; a habit that never bode well for him in the past. It was because of this that Naruto would typically try to find a means to express himself through actions rather than with words. Those types of things tended to yield far better results than anything else; he didn't really know why but it just did so he stuck with it.

Problem was there was very little he could do with one arm and he was drawing blanks on how to deal with the current situation involving his roommate.

Now all that was left to do was wait for Sakura to do something and get it over with; if for no other reason than to at least get her help.

"Yugito-san's mad at you?" There was no question that her tone displayed some measure of surprise in it. While he would admit that Yugito wasn't the most expressive person in the world it shouldn't have come to that much of a surprise to Sakura that the woman was prone to anger just like everyone else. Which case lead to Naruto being sent into a temporary state of puzzlement; though said confusion left him as quickly as it had appeared. "Why?"

"I guess it's because I walked in on her why she was changing."

A few seconds later, Naruto was sporting a new lump that had risen from within the locks of his hair whilst Sakura appeared to be seething where she stood. As stated before, Naruto was not good with words and typically spoke whatever came to mind first. Fucking quirk was always getting him into trouble; but at least he was being honest about it and not beating around the bush the entire time. Though, he had to wonder, why was Sakura upset about all this anyway? In fact, why hit him when he was the one who lived there? Yugito didn't hit him and she lives there now; why didn't this happen then instead of now? Regardless, Sakura's anger didn't seem to lowering all that much, so he resigned himself to whatever else she was planning to say.

"You idiot!" Yeah, he saw that coming. "Of course she's going to be mad at you when its something like that!"

"B-But it was an accident!" He was pleading at this point, trying to make his case so as not to be unfairly labeled as a pervert by his friend and teammate. "I was just checking up on her since I heard her talking in the other room. I didn't know she was undressed or anything!"

"You share a place with a woman you moron!" Oddly enough, in spite of the two's yelling, no one in the area seemed to really pay them much mind. Of course, that was mainly due to the fact that they were rather used to it, given that the owners of the household tended to bicker quite often themselves. "You don't just waltz in when you live with a woman; you have to at least pretend you respect her privacy!"

"I do!" Sad fact was, Sakura would not understand anytime soon that Naruto did indeed respect Yugito's privacy more than either woman realized. "If I didn't, she's kick the crap out of me!"

"Rightfully so too!"

"Oi, oi, what's all the ruckus about?"

Both present youths were startled by the sudden voice of a third party member. Without missing a beat, both of the youth present shifted attention to where the voice had originated from; with Naruto trying to peer passed Sakura while the pinkette in question turned herself entirely to look at the individual. Said individual was a man, a man with blue eyes and dull pink hair styled in a rather odd manor. To Naruto, it reminded him of a cherry-blossom and looked rather strange considering the fact that it stuck out more than his own hair color did in a crowd. Still, even with the man's sudden interruption with their conversation, he didn't seem all that upset with the racket they were admittedly making outside the house. Quite the opposite really, he looked more amused than anything. In fact everything about his character from what he could see just screamed upbeat.

With the presence of this man now known and within the household, it didn't take much for Naruto to deduce who he was; though Sakura did a good job at confirming it. "S-sorry dad, were we being too loud?"

It took Haruno Kizashi less than a few seconds to shift his gaze from Sakura, towards the boy outside, and back towards his daughter before answering. "Not at all, in fact I completely understand the situation."

"You do?" Naruto's tone was a dead enough give-away that he was less confused and more hopeful regarding the statement.

"Of course, a father understands these things best." At this, a single hand rose to pat the top of his daughters head, earning him an annoyed huff from the girl in question as she tried to swat the hand away. "I must say though Sakura, I wish you could have introduced me sooner; but I approve none the less."

"Huh?" This was a statement that was voiced by both youths currently present.

Apparently, the shared statement between the two was missed by the jovial man. Because even with both Naruto and Sakura's confused expressions he continued to do nothing but chuckle to himself. "Oh don't be coy you two, I know a lover's quarrel when I see one!"

"DAD~!" Cue Sakura's outrage.

Seriously, how the hell could her father come to a bold conclusion with only one wrongly timed appearance? As sad as it was for her to admit, this had been the very first time Naruto had even _met _her father, not to mention the fact that she hardly ever mentioned him around the house. She may had done so when word reached her that the blonde was coming home after his three years of absence, but that was really the only time she could admittedly recall mentioning him. But now, with this giant misunderstanding now being hung over her head, her father was surely going to be bringing this up more than often for her liking; along with dragging her mother into it as well. Worse yet, if Ino came over, it would no doubt come up then as well; which would soon spread throughout the village like a wildfire. She had to defuse this situation, do it quickly before it escalated further, otherwise she would never hear the end of it.

Internally, the more assertive part of her was screaming and cursing their father for not acting his part as 'the scary father' figure he was supposed to act like in the presence of a boy.

For Naruto, however, his thoughts were generally elsewhere.

At another time, in another life, Naruto would have been a blushing wreck at this point whilst chucking like an idiot at the concept of him and Sakura being an item. Let it not be mistaken that he wasn't blushing at this very moment and life, but that was where the similarities ended. Let it also not be mistaken that he didn't care about Sakura; in fact a part of him still loved her and wanted nothing more than to be with her. The only problem was that, deep down, he knew better. Sasuke was the one that Sakura loved, not him. Coming to accept that was the hardest thing he had ever had to do, almost as hard as it was losing Sasuke all those years ago and just recently. Naruto knew he loved Sakura, but at the same time knew it was not going to be returned in the manner which he felt towards her. It didn't stop him from trying, mind you, but this event only solidified the fact that she would always just see him as a friend and not much else.

Just because he accepted it didn't mean it didn't bum him out thinking about it.

"Now, now Sakura-chan, no need to get but so embarrassed about it; I told you he has my approval."

"But that's not-"

"I'm not her boyfriend Ji-san."

Both Haruno's were silenced by those words, though for entirely different reasons. Sakura's silence was due mainly because it wasn't what she was expecting to hear from him and Kizashi due to being just being plain confused. Naruto himself just stood there, feelingly slightly awkward with both of parties stares and chose to simply act like he normally would; grin and chuckle sheepishly. Even with this, though, neither father nor daughter missed the fact that his smile and eyes were stained; forced into the expression that was placed before them to hide whatever it was he was really feeling. A gut feeling, woman's intuition, call it what you will but the fact was that both knew that it was something was very difficult for the blonde to admit aloud. Both of which being quite accurate, honestly, for each second that passed Naruto's will to be here slowly began to lessen.

"I…think I should go." The tone in which he had spoken was cracked somewhat, barely enough to be noticeable. While it sucked that he didn't achieve what he had come here for, there were other people in which he could talk to for a solution for his dilemma. He could wait a day to get this done, as much as he hated the silence at home he felt that it was a bit more suitable with the direction his current mood was trekking down. "I'll see ya later Sakura-chan; nice ta meet ya Haruno-Ji-san."

And just like that, Naruto turned and walked away, his only usable hand stuffing itself into his pocket as he moved. Complements would have been given to him for not looking back at the concerned and curious gazes of the two Haruno's he was leaving behind. Key here word being 'would' had Naruto's shoulder's not be sagging or his gaze not been lowered. He didn't regret coming here, despite the change of heart in seeking Sakura's help just now, for he was still glad to have seen her. It was just he could have done without the implication her father made in regards towards how him and Sakura viewed each other. Admitting what he did just now was a bitter pill to swallow, but also a necessary one no matter how much he hated to admit it. Too many things had changed over the years, too many wounds that the two shared that would allow them the means to be together. Sakura loved Sasuke, Naruto promised to bring him back, and had failed twice to deliver on that promise. That knowledge hurt him enough, but what's more was that he knew, always knew, that he just wasn't good enough to have her.

She deserved to have the person she loved most; and that person was not him.

If he had looked back, had he turned to spare at least a glance behind him, he would have seen the look of confliction in Sakura's emerald eyes. She wanted to follow him, cheer him up in at least some way and actually help him with whatever was bothering him. At the same time, however, she knew that if she did go she would only be hurting him more than anything at this point. It wasn't a secret that Naruto cared about her, had wanted nothing more than to be together with her and at times she could picture it not being so bad. Naruto had always done his absolute best for her; saving her life multiple times in the past and depending on him when things were at their worst. But, at the same time, she could not deny that her feelings towards Sasuke were still as firm as they had been on the evening he departed. Many had given up on Sasuke, just as many people loathed to even mention his name, but she did not and neither did Naruto. She was thankful for that fact more than anything else, but no matter how much she loved and cherished the orange wearing blonde, she could not be with him with Sasuke still present in her heart.

That wouldn't be fair to him; it would just be a giant insult to have another person on your mind more so than the person you were with.

It was for that reason which made her strive to help Naruto in her own way. He needed someone that really cared about him, that much was certain; someone who could understand him best and provide him some form of guidance that was both genuine and unbiased. Hinata would have been perfect for him now, especially given the fact that few could really claim to have always cared about him from day one. That changed when Yugito had entered their lives and was eventually accepted into her teammate's own heart. When she arrived, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be subjected to the same strange ability that he had over people; that very power that could change other's for the better. She knew it would happen, she knew it would make the woman into a different person, and eventually lead to her belief that there was a chance she could do all the things that Sakura could never do. Yugito could be that person who could provide the blonde what he never really had before; something she and everyone else typically took for granted at times: love.

Yugito, however, made things difficult with her unwillingness to admit what Sakura knew was there. She knew that there were feelings hidden behind those dark spheres that she refused to show or admit. No, refusal was not the proper term here; it would be more accurate to assume that Yugito didn't want to admit it because she was afraid. Afraid of what, she didn't know, but all she knew was that a seed of doubt was present in her and the exterior that the woman exhibited constantly was slowly beginning to diminish. With each crack that formed a new opportunity arose which would bring the two Jinchuuriki closer than either of them knew. Even with all this being said, though, it did not mean she was glad to see her friend and teammate in pain. She knew she had hurt him more than any physical wound he could receive when she begged him to bring Sasuke back. She knew it was just as hard for him to make the promise he had made when he felt as strongly about her as she did towards Sasuke, and only hurt him more when he could not keep it.

Sakura still remembered when he returned from that mission and how he couldn't look her in the eye when he said he had failed.

That was a wound that wouldn't heal.

Before her own thoughts could tread any further down the solemn path it was headed, the weight of her father's hand on her shoulder abruptly dispelled them. The questioning look that was sent his way was answered with a grim smile as he stared off in the direction the boy had departed from. He knew of that boy, it was actually very difficult not to know who he was given his reputation. The misunderstanding aside, he still stood by his words when he said that he approved of him. So many times he wished he could have thanked that boy for keeping his little girl safe, so many instances where he wanted nothing more than to show him that the shinobi in the village stood behind him and would be by his side when he needed them. Konoha as a whole may still be ignorant, but in time they too will see what the shinobi did now. They would see it, and all he would be able to do when that day came is laugh.

"He'll be alright." Was all that really could be said, but he knew it to be true; he believed it to be true. "Storm clouds come, pass, and eventually disperse in time. When light eventually gets through the sun always looks brighter after the rain, right?"

Taking one last fleeting glance towards the direction her father was gazing, she felt the corners of her lips twitch upwards at those words before leaning in a bit into his touch. "I'm sure you are dad."

She hoped he was, she was desperately hoping that those words were true.

* * *

In the time between leaving Sakura's house to finally returning home, the sun had reached its zenith and was now slowly making its decent back down over the horizon. It was still quite sunny outdoors, but it wouldn't be long before the light grew dim and ultimately depart for the day. That thought, though, was among things of lesser importance to him at this point. All he wanted now was to go home and do what he should be doing: rest and forget his trouble's for the timing being. While the thought of doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day was discouraging, it was just one of those things he just had to tolerate for a bit longer. Additionally, since Yugito had chosen to be outdoors for the past few days, it meant he would have the apartment all to himself for the several hours before she came back home. Perhaps a shower or nap could be taken to eat up some of his free-time; as any form of training was prohibited until his arm healed completely.

So imagine his surprise when he could hear something on the opposite end of the door leading to his home. It didn't take long for him to distinguish what exactly the noise was, having heard it on several occasions in the past. His suspicions were confirmed when he entered and found Yugito, still garbed in her casual attire for the outdoors, seated on the couch with her own Shamisen in her lap. Unfortunately, because of his sudden appearance, the blonde woman ceased playing to glance up to see who had entered. Both blonde's eyes locked with the other briefly before being averted elsewhere, at least for Yugito. Naruto only continued to stare, puzzlement etched into his features as he removed his footwear and entered the living room. Despite the fact that the two were now present in the same area, the woman still refused to look at him, which in turn worsened Naruto's dreary mood further.

"You're back early." The statement itself was made in a tone that was less than enthusiastic, something that was clearly not like him. To Yugito, this was a mark of displeasure at her appearance here, when in fact it was just the young man's depression making him less than fervent at the moment.

Said woman didn't dare speak, less she recall the events that had played out prior to her premature return to the apartment. Instead, the woman merely nodded silently, shifting her gaze back towards her instrument as she tuned it. Still, even though she did not wish to recall the conversation with Lee earlier today, she could not stop herself from shifting her gaze briefly towards the boy as he passed; her gaze quick and unnoticeable. That same fleeting glance was all that had taken for her to take note of a few glaring things that hinted something was amiss. The first being his lack of enthusiasm, which was not really uncommon to see since she had isolated herself from him as of late. Secondly, his eyes had been half-lidded, which was not something she could say she saw often since her arrival here; the only time she had seen it was after the failed mission a month ago. That adding to his slumped shoulders and the overall downtrodden aura that he was producing indicated to her that something was making him feel depressed. At that, Yugito could only blame herself for; as it was apparent by both his tone and what he was displaying now that he really didn't want to be here with her.

She couldn't blame him really, she was still isolating herself from him in his own home. Three days ago they were just fine and with as little care in the world as possible given the circumstances. They were on great terms, both of them, and now she was slowly ruining the whole thing with her silence. It just wasn't right, she knew this, but she just couldn't bring herself to break it herself and speak up again. More than anything she wanted to have things return to the way it used to be, before she let her emotions affect her decisions and actions. Upon reflection, she could honestly say that everything had been fine they way it was until the day she gave him that damnable kiss.

And to this very day, she still was not sure if her reasons behind that were legitimate.

"You eat anythin' yet?" The sudden question was all that had saved her from allowing her mind to wonder any further than she intended. Yet she continued to remain silent, nodding her head in response whilst still 'tuning' her shamisen without sparing the lad any further glance. In response, the lad merely sighed before walking past the couch and into the kitchen; mainly to fix himself something to eat.

The silence that followed was something neither party was pleased with. Silence seemed so…_foreign_ in this place now. It was just wrong to hear neither party speaking to the other, both performing their own tasks in silence without interacting with the other in the slightest. While this may have been fine in the past, now it just felt more forced than anything else. Neither party could really explain it, but the air about them just felt wrong in comparison to how it was not even a week ago. It wasn't a tense atmosphere mind, neither party felt that way, but it was more like a sullen one instead. Given each of their individual problems, it was understandable that such an aura would be present in the air within the apartment.

Surprisingly, the person who had snapped first between the two of them had been Yugito; having had enough of the damn silence. So, she began to play her instrument once again, though instead of a more familiar tune she chose one completely different. That was really her thing when it came to music; whenever she played it was never a repetitive tune that was used. Rather, she would just let her fingers move on their own and allow whatever it was that came to continue at it's leisure. That, honestly, was one of the big dangers about this instrument; for sometimes even she could become lost in the music she created; just as much as Naruto or anyone else who ever listened to her play. Sad fact was, this was one of those moments in time where she did in lose herself in her hobby; thus not feeling her caretaker's stare upon her from the kitchen.

Now, one thing must be clear, Naruto was by no means the best person to go to when it came down to being a critic. Proof of that fact was his approval of the Bi and Gai rap duo despite how utterly terrible it was. That did not mean he had bad taste when it concerned those matters, it just meant that if something fascinated him enough he'd surely enjoy it no matter how good or bad it was. But this situation, the music that was streaming from the opposite room; that was something he couldn't consider 'cool' or anything of the sort. He actually had to think of a word that best described what he was hearing; giving up after several moments of drawing nothing but blanks. Seriously, calling it 'cool' or anything else that he usually used would not do it any justice. Hell, he doubted anything he could find in the dictionary could describe exactly how good the tune she was playing sounded to him.

Beautiful, superb, outstanding, remarkable, exquisite, mesmerizing, alluring: nothing fit and he only knew two of those words listed.

All that he knew was that, whatever it was, it was something that he couldn't for the life of him ignore.

Not even if he wanted to.

Before he himself realized it, he found himself seated in front of the woman on the floor; his only usable arm supporting him as he leaned back whilst his eyes remained glued to the woman seated in front of him. As he watched, he took notice to something he really didn't pay much mind to in the past; something that was only now becoming apparent. When the professional appearance was put to rest, when she did not appear as harsh or strict as people saw her as, she looked quite peaceful and content. She appeared much softer, much more alive than any other time he had seen her, when she played her music in the comfort of his home. It was also at this point in time that Naruto made another, much less shacking, discovery.

Yugito, despite what she said otherwise, was a very appealing woman to look at.

Especially when she was smiling the way she was now; lost in her own world as she played.

Unfortunately, whatever that was felt in this moment was lost when she suddenly ceased playing. Blinking out of his own stupor, he soon noticed something that made him instantly jump up from his position on the ground and back towards the kitchen. "MY RAMEN!"

"I told you before; I like an audience but please don't burn the apartment down Naruto!" Surprisingly enough, Yugito too joined him in the kitchen as they found, much to Naruto's dismay, a pot filled with burnt nodules. Apparently, Naruto had been in a daze longer than he though, as the water in the pot had evaporated entirely, thus resulting in his meal ending up burnt to a crisp. If that wasn't bad enough, the stench of smoke had now completely filled the apartment, leading to both occupants opening every window within their home to whilst the smoke wafted out.

"You've never told me to not burn down the apartment." Grumbled a still annoyed blonde as he attempted to clean off the pan he had used.

"Why should I _**need**_ to inform you not to do such a thing in the first place?" Retorted the fellow blonde, just as annoyed as her caretaker since she too was busy fanning the smoke out the window.

"But you said you told me that before. I've never heard you say that part."

"You _know_ which part I was implying."

"The burning part, right?"

Honestly, Naruto couldn't help but snicker at the disgruntled look Yugito sent his way. By all means, though, Naruto had more of a reason to be upset than Yugito did; yet strangely he wasn't now. Maybe it was because she was talking to him again, or maybe it was because she was actually upset enough to break whatever spell of silence had been placed on her. Whatever the case may be, he was content with this; content because she was at least speaking to him even if he was taking this situation a bit lightheartedly.

"Don't mock me."

"Alright, alight, I'll pretend I've heard you tell me the burning part already, geeze."

Yugito, while still more than a bit miffed at the whole situation, couldn't help but join Naruto in chuckling at that statement. Neither party had realized that, in that very moment, the silence that had gripped them both for the past couple days had effectively been broken. Nor did they realize that, since that very same moment, both had begun to make up for lost time in terms of conversing with one another. For the majority of the time cleaning up the mess that had been made, it was good natured banter between the two. This banter soon escalated to more lighthearted conversations regarding the events of the past two days; though still keeping their own trouble's hidden from the other's knowledge. While neither party had become any closer to solving their own personal dilemmas, be it of personal feelings or thoughts of regret, both did come to realize one fact that could not be denied. Neither wished to be placed back in that deafening silence anytime soon over their own petty thoughts.

For this was their home, a home that was worth coming back to and worth seeing the face of someone they cared about; be it conditional or not.

* * *

And there you are, the fifth chapter for your viewing pleasure. Hopefully, this chapter gives a bit more insight towards Naruto and Sakura's current relationship, mainly to those who openly asked about it. I didn't want people thinking that he forgot about Sakura, but at the same time I wanted to show justification behind why Sakura acted the way she did last chapter and how Naruto views her now. This will, hopefully, clear a few things up and make the overall pairing more believable attest to just 'Oh, this person lives with me; better start growing to love her' kinda deal; you know?

Also, something that's been asked a lot since chapter two, you may have noticed that I'm given Matatabi a little bit of input as well. Personally, I like adding in her two-cents into the over-all story. She makes a good 'inside person' if you will in regards to what Yugito subconsciously thinks about. I could do the same for Kyuubi, but that would kinda ruin it since, we all know, Naruto and Kyuubi aren't on buddy terms at this point in time. So, with that being said, I hope this chapter and this statement answer any future questions regarding both Jinchuuriki's tenets making appearances in future chapters.

Finally, the inspirational song of the chapter; don't hit me for this because I have no idea how it helped me here. The song was Troublemaker by Olly Murs. Again, don't fucking ask me about my tastes cause even I don't know what the hell's going on with them. Additionally, I have something else that you could take a peek at if your interested in listening to something. It's not heavy metal or rap, just something nice to listen to and something you can use to visualize the Shamisen scene in this chapter.

watch?v=VVZdwvAg3ow

Trust me, it's worth listening to.

Just like it's worth leaving a nice little review for me.

Don't question it, don't fight it or deny it; just embrace it.

Let the button draw you in; it has cake.

Embrace the pastry goodness: **Click it.**


End file.
